Otega Oweh struggled in Kentucky’s 83-66 loss to Michigan State, scoring 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, with four rebounds, three assists, and one block. Three days later, a refreshed Oweh scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 24 lively minutes, helping fuel an 88-46 win over Loyola-Maryland.
The 6’4″ guard added five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. After the win, coach Mark Pope praised the Newark, New Jersey native’s resilience and impact in his postgame remarks.
Mark Pope Reflects on Otega Oweh’s All-Around Brilliance Against Loyola-Maryland
The Kentucky coach addressed a reporter’s inquiry about Oweh’s influence, highlighting how his resolve following an off night against Michigan State fueled the Wildcats’ commanding performance in their win against the Greyhounds.
Oweh’s six points in the first five minutes signaled his focus, even with an expected win over Loyola-Maryland. Pope also said Oweh’s defense in the second half reflected his determination to rebound from his last game, showing the passion that drove the Wildcats’ success last season.
“I think he took it personally,” Pope said of Oweh. “I felt like his first stretch in the second half wasn’t quite as solid offensively, but we saw a couple possessions of Otega Oweh defense that we haven’t seen the passion and commitment defensively. That’s where he’s going to build his game. And so I felt like welcome back, my friend.”
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The second-year Wildcats coach was also pleased with how the guard brought back his physicality and defensive intensity. Seeing those flashes of brilliance show up in Oweh’s sixth game has made Pope more optimistic about how he’ll play in future games.
“Finding that a little bit maybe for the first time this season meant a lot to me,” Pope said. “So he had a couple good moments tonight and we got to grow on him because he’s a big-time player and he’s just going to figure it out.”
In six games this season, Oweh has averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 45.0% from the field. The guard’s numbers this year were a shade of his first season with the Wildcats, where he tallied 16.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 1.6 spg. Although it’s still too early, experts project his production to decline slightly due to the talent the team has this season.
Kentucky Relies on Balanced Attack To Overpower Loyola-Maryland
Oweh joined four other Wildcats in double figures. Collin Chandler and Kam Williams each provided 13 points. Chandler finished 5-of-12, hitting 3-of-6 from deep. Williams, meanwhile, converted 5-of-9 attempts while collecting nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Denzel Aberdeen and Malachi Moreno contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, as Kentucky’s starters overwhelmed their Loyola Maryland counterparts, 58-18. Building on this strong foundation, Andrija Jelavic, Jasper Johnson, Brandon Garrison, and Trent Noah came off the bench and added 30 points. Kentucky also dominated in rebounding (56-33), assists (21-8), and steals (11-5), maintaining control throughout the game.
These dominant stats extended to fastbreak points (33-3) and points in the paint (52-16), ensuring the Wildcats remained unbeaten inside Rupp Arena. After this impressive all-around performance, Kentucky will have a four-day break before its next game against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 26 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
