SEC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

1. Oscar Tshiebwe

A 6’9 center originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tshiebwe had himself quite the collegiate career, and only half of it came in the SEC. He spent his first two seasons in West Virginia’s frontcourt before transferring to Kentucky in 2021. He’d become a dominant player with the Wildcats and his junior year, his first in Lexington, was certainly special to every extent.

In that first year as a Wildcat, Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds, becoming the nation’s most explosive big man and playing a major role for Kentucky. He had at least 20 rebounds in their first two games and grabbed 28 against Western Kentucky in late December, eventually leading the Wildcats to a 26-win season. Though disappointed by an early exit from the 2022 NCAA Tournament, he’d return as a senior, this time putting up 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds, numbers that were still very dominant. In a season that included a 37-point, 24-rebound against Georgia, Tshiebwe’s career would end in the second round of the Big Dance.

Tshiebwe was the nation’s leading rebounder in both seasons at Kentucky, with his junior numbers the best since the turn of the century. He was AP Player of the Year, SEC Player of the Year, and also took home the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and the Naismith and Wooden Awards. While he didn’t claim those same accolades as a senior, he still became a two-time All-American and proved himself as one of the best bigs we’ve seen in recent memory.