Mo Dioubate doesn't need big stats to impact winning: 'That's every team's dream player.'

Mo Dioubate‘s impact on the game goes beyond the box score, but it didn’t hurt that he was able to put up solid numbers in Kentucky’s SEC Tournament opener.

The junior forward finished with seven points and seven rebounds in the Wildcats’ 87-82 SEC Tournament-opening win over LSU on Wednesday. As has been the case over the last few weeks, most of his production (seven points, five rebounds) came in the second half. A trend is forming where head coach Mark Pope starts games with Andrija Jelavić at the “four” spot before closing them with Dioubate.

Dioubate might not be as skilled as Jelavić, but nine times out of 10, he’s going to be the toughest dude on the hardwood for either team.

“Every time Mo is out there, I feel like he really sets the tone for us,” Senior guard Otega Oweh said postgame. “…Every team needs a bruiser, somebody going to give it they all. Mo has done that all year. He don’t care about stats, how the game is going. He’s going to go out there and make his impact on the game.

“I think that’s every team’s dream player. Mo helps us out in a bunch of ways.”

Dioubate came up big in critical moments for Kentucky. When LSU was threatening to take control of the game in the second half, it was the Alabama transfer who stepped up first. Dioubate inhaled an offensive rebound for a putback layup with 14:53 left in the game that gave his team the lead back. His and-one layup a couple of minutes later put the ‘Cats up four. After LSU responded the next time down, he received a pretty pass from Jasper Johnson out of the pick-and-roll for an easy layup with his strong hand.

Those were seven massively important points for UK at a pivotal stretch. It led to Brandon Garrison‘s solo run of seven straight points that ultimately helped the ‘Cats seal the win. When Kentucky needs some extra toughness to influence the game, Pope and his staff have been leaning more and more on the guy who checks in at 6-foot-7, 220 pounds.

“Mo is such a great teammate,” Pope said. “He leads in ways off the court also. He cares about his teammates deeply. He thinks about his guys. He’s growing as a leader. Clearly his impact on the court is great. It’s been great for us this entire season. He just brings us a physicality. Guys know it.”

Dioubate made sure all 21 of his minutes mattered, too. He even fouled out in the closing seconds. For those who enjoy a good plus/minus stat, Dioubate was second on the team at +10 behind only Garrison at +11. In fact, it was those two who paved the way for Kentucky’s second-half run in the frontcourt.

But let’s maybe cut back on those three-point attempts, Mo…

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