12:25 PM ET
Associated Press
Oscar Tshiebwe was the statement men's assemblage hoops subordinate of the twelvemonth past season, an accomplishment usually followed by a leap to the NBA.
Kentucky's large antheral decided to instrumentality a antithetic route. He is coming back, and helium mightiness beryllium adjacent amended this season.
"He's a amended passer. He's a amended dribbler. He has a amended feel. He talks," Kentucky manager John Calipari said. "Offensively helium knows the plays better. And he's authentic."
Tshiebwe was a unanimous enactment on with Gonzaga large antheral Drew Timme successful The Associated Press' preseason All-America squad released Monday. They were joined by North Carolina guardant Armando Bacot, Houston defender Marcus Sasser and Indiana guardant Trayce Jackson-Davis connected the squad selected by a 59-person media sheet that votes connected the AP Top 25.
Tshiebwe is the ninth AP nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth -- Bill Walton and Ralph Sampson did it doubly -- to instrumentality for different season, according to Sportradar research, and the archetypal since Tyler Hansbrough came backmost to pb North Carolina to a nationalist rubric successful 2009.
The fourth-ranked Wildcats are hoping Tshiebwe tin bash the aforesaid for them.
The 6-foot-9, 260-pound guardant from the Congo led the federation successful rebounding past play astatine 15.1 per crippled portion averaging 17.4 points. He changeable 60.6% from the field, had 60 steals and 55 blocks, and finished the play with 16 consecutive double-doubles connected the mode to a school-record 28.
Instead of taking his crippled to the NBA, Tshiebwe opted to instrumentality erstwhile projections had him going successful the 2nd circular of the 2022 draft.
"They [NBA scouts] privation my crippled to grow a small bit," said Tshiebwe, who started his vocation astatine West Virginia. "They privation maine to beryllium capable to marque 1 oregon 2 3-pointers. They privation maine to drawback the ball, thrust and finish, and get amended successful dribbling."
Timme made a akin determination 2 years successful a row. The 6-10 elder was 1 of the nation's champion large men each of the past 2 seasons, starring the Zags connected heavy NCAA runs, including a travel to the nationalist rubric crippled successful 2021. He was a second-team All-American for the 2nd consecutive play a twelvemonth agone aft averaging 18.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
He inactive had areas of his crippled helium wanted to enactment connected earlier heading to the NBA and hoped for 1 much changeable astatine winning a nationalist rubric with the second-ranked Zags. The NCAA's name, representation and likeness rules made it an easier decision.
"We person a accidental to bash thing special. I wanted to get my degree, there's things I privation to enactment on, I privation to physique on," Timme said. "It was a culmination of a batch of things, but I truly bask being a assemblage kid."
Bacot besides has a accidental to bash thing peculiar with the Tar Heels.
The 6-11 guardant tied the NCAA grounds with 31 double-doubles past play and became the archetypal to person six successful 1 NCAA tourney portion starring North Carolina to the nationalist rubric game. The Tar Heels mislaid to Kansas but are No. 1 successful the preseason AP Top 25 and among the favorites to triumph it each with Bacot back.
"I don't spell a time wherever we're not, like, saying, man, we can't hold to get to that," Bacot said of winning a nationalist title. "Maybe that's not the champion approach, but I mean, we're human."
Sasser's show was a cardinal cog 2 years agone during the Cougars' archetypal Final Four tally since the Phi Slama Jama days; helium averaged 13.7 points and played menacing defense.
The dynamic 6-2 defender got disconnected to a beardown commencement past play but broke a bony successful his near ft and was constricted to 12 games. He was named the American Athletic Conference preseason subordinate of the twelvemonth and is simply a large crushed the Cougars are ranked No. 3 successful the AP preseason poll.
"It puts a people connected your backmost each night, but it besides gives maine information each time successful signifier to spell retired determination and enactment harder," Sasser said.
Jackson-Davis was a preseason All-American past play and led the Hoosiers successful scoring (18.3) and rebounding (8.1). The 6-9 guardant besides helped Indiana scope the NCAA tourney for the archetypal clip successful six years, but the postseason tally ended with a first-round nonaccomplishment to Saint Mary's.
With Jackson-Davis back, the No. 13 Hoosiers are the favorites to triumph the Big Ten and, they hope, marque a heavy March run.
"I deliberation I person benignant of acceptable the chromatic of my idiosyncratic legacy, being an All-American and doing each of those things, but those don't truly substance if you don't triumph thing here," helium said. "Winning is simply a large happening here, truthful winning a nationalist title and besides winning a Big Ten title, those are my 2 main goals this year."
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