Otega Oweh continues to be Kentucky’s go-to guy

Oweh turned in one of his best performances in a Kentucky jersey as the Cats cruised past LSU.

Otega Oweh has established himself as the Kentucky Wildcats’ go-to guy throughout his first season in Lexington.

In Tuesday’s 95-64 win over LSU, Oweh kept playing his brand of basketball and had one of his best performances in a Kentucky uniform. He started the first half scorching hot, going for 15 points on 7/9 shooting with six rebounds and two steals in the first 20 minutes of play.

With the game out of hand early in the second half, Oweh took a backseat to others but did finish with 24 points on 9/11 shooting (6/6 on free throws), eight boards, three assists (tied for the second-most he’s had in a game this season), three steals, and game-high +/- of 33. That 81.9% field-goal shooting was also the best mark he’s had vs. a Power Six team this season (he shot 88.9% vs. Wright State and 83.3% vs. Lipscomb.

According to UK statistician Corey Price, Oweh became the first Kentucky player to have at least 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals in a game since former Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson did in 2008 vs. Longwood. The former Sooner has been stellar as SEC play winds down. We saw him explode in Norman, and now he is putting up rare stat lines.

Oweh’s ability to be a 3-level scorer makes him difficult to guard on the offensive end. When he’s knocking down that mid-to-long-range jumper, the 6-foot-4 guard is a tough matchup for any defender.

Oweh has been the go-to guy all season long for the Wildcats, and that will be the same storyline down the stretch in March, especially now that Jaxson Robinson is done for the season. The New Jersey product has been playing some of his best basketball on both sides of the floor in the past two months, hitting 20+ points seven times in his last 13 games.

Oweh will look to continue his dominant play as Kentucky wraps up SEC play and heads on the road to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the No. 15 Missouri Tigers.

The Wildcats closed out their 2024-25 regular-season home slate with a stellar 15-3 record, a testament to the relentless energy of their fans and the unique culture fostered by first-year head coach Mark Pope. But beyond the stats, the night crystallized what makes Kentucky basketball more than just a game—it’s a family, a legacy, and a proving ground where even the unlikeliest heroes etch their names into lore.

Pope, reflecting on the season and the Senior Night triumph, couldn’t help but spotlight an unsung figure who embodies the spirit of BBN: Zach Tow, a walk-on whose journey mirrors the grit and heart of this storied program. “Well, listen, BBN is incredible,” Pope said postgame, his voice brimming with pride. “And I think, you know, it was a special night. A name that most people don’t know is Zach Tow. Zach Tow actually came to walk-on tryouts and we randomly held walk-on tryouts and he showed up and he fought through 60 guys in a bunch of workouts and then earned the right to come to practice and be on a one-day contract throughout the entire course of the season.”