NCAA Basketball: 8 biggest takeaways from 2023 NBA Draft deadline results

Kentucky loses National Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe

There were two star big men that everyone was waiting on and the good news is that for the second straight year, a National Player of the Year winner is coming back to NCAA Basketball. But the bad news for Kentucky is that they aren’t the beneficiary of that.

Even though his numbers dipped down compared to the year prior, Tshiebwe still averaged 16.5 ppg and 13.7 rpg to lead Kentucky this past season. His numbers simply can’t be replaced and it’s a massive blow to the roster. They do have freshman big man Ugonna Onyenso and incoming five-star prospect Aaron Bradshaw to step in if they can’t find anyone but neither is proven at the SEC level.

The hits kept coming for the Wildcats, as starting freshman forward Chris Livingston also stayed in the draft. He only averaged 6.3 ppg and 4.2 rpg this past season but not only could’ve been a potential breakout sophomore to watch had he stayed but there aren’t any true power forwards on the roster at the moment. So if they don’t land someone via the portal, they’ll have to play five-star combo forward prospect, Justin Edwards, mainly there.

The slightly good news is that Antonio Reeves, who was second on the team with 14.4 ppg, is returning to NCAA Basketball. But it’s out there that he could be a grad transfer candidate and will meet with the program later. So in a week or so, there’s still a chance that Kentucky loses all three of these guys when it’s all said and done.