Oscar Tshiebwe is a true outlier in the art of rebounding. His talent and tenacity at the rim produced two of the five best rebounding seasons in Kentucky basketball history. He broke a Rupp Arena record by rebounding at a rate that this program had not seen since the 50s.
It’s improbable that anyone can ever come close to Tshiebwe, but there’s one thing Mo Dioubate actually does better when it comes to cleaning the glass.
For weeks, I have argued in public forums that Dioubate might be the best offensive rebounder of missed free throws we’ve ever seen. In the final seconds against Tennessee, he proved that he is in fact the best to ever do it.
It’s such a highly specific skill, and one that is rarely needed in a game, which is why you’ve probably never thought about it before. But have you ever seen someone who is consistently giving his team possession off of missed free throws? Dioubate is one-of-one in this regard, and on Saturday night, it helped the Cats secure a comeback win.
Dioubate Gave Kentucky the Dagger
Tom Hart dubbed Collin Chandler “Captain Clutch.” He lived up to that nickname by hitting the go-ahead three in the final seconds. BBN might’ve taken that title away if not for Dioubate.
The 86.7% free throw shooter was sent to the charity stripe in a one-point game with 7.3 seconds on the clock. Everybody in Rupp Arena was ready for Chandler to bury both shots and send home the Vols crying. Dioubate was prepared for the worst.
Chandler’s attempt clanged off the rim. Dioubate came in from out of nowhere, secured the rebound, then threw it up to Denzel Aberdeen. Four seconds ticked off the clock before Tennessee could send Aberdeen to the line, where he hit both to give Kentucky the final 74-71 advantage.
Dioubate did not fill up the stat sheet — four points, four fouls, two rebounds, a steal, and a block in 15 minutes — but he gave the Cats exactly what they needed down the stretch.
“The plays he’s making are not the stuff that you see on SportsCenter’s Top 10, but they are the plays that win,” Mark Pope said after the victory. “His offensive rebounds down the stretch in the last three minutes at Tennessee are what won us the game. His offensive rebound at the free-throw line is the play that sealed the game for us today.
“You just can’t overstate the value of that. Sometimes it’s hard to love that as a player when that’s who you are, which is unfortunate, because everybody else in the league would kill to have that guy that is going to make that play.”
Mo Dioubate is the best offensive rebounder off missed free throws in the history of basketball and you can’t tell me otherwise.