Kentucky junior guard Otega Oweh was on a mission against his former school, Oklahoma. He simply refused to lose, willing the No. 17 Wildcats to an 83-82 victory versus the Sooners in Norman.
Oweh raised his intensity as the lights got brighter, scoring Kentucky's last 18 points; with the final two being the most important. He nailed an incredibly tough bucket in the final seconds, which proved to be the game-winner.
.@OtegaOweh closing this out the way he does 😤💪 pic.twitter.com/TAZcmO0neU
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 27, 2025
Otega Oweh hits dramatic Kentucky game-winner vs. former team
After rejecting sophomore big man Brandon Garrison's screen, Oweh went to work, attacking the basket with a full head of steam. He was going left but stopped on a dime and hopped into a difficult one-handed floater, laying it up and in through traffic. His acrobatic finish put Kentucky up one with 6.1 seconds on the clock, delivering the dagger for the Wildcats.
On the other end of the floor, Garrison swatted Sooners freshman guard Jeremiah Fears after Oklahoma chose to call a timeout on the last possession. The outstanding two-way sequence allowed Kentucky to narrowly escape a highly competitive SEC clash with eight ties and nine lead changes.
While Oweh stole the show, Garrison's heroics shouldn't go unnoticed. The center's interior defensive presence was felt all night off the bench, especially when it mattered most, tallying three blocks and three steals. Nevertheless, the former was a man possessed and could do no wrong, propelling the Wildcats to take down Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center.
It seemed like Oweh felt at home returning to his old stomping grounds. He spent two seasons playing for head coach Porter Moser and the Sooners program before transferring to Kentucky last year. And the "revenge game" ostensibly fueled him to have a masterclass performance at Oklahoma.
Theatrics aside, Kentucky got a much-needed win following a 96-83 defeat at the hands of another conference rival, then-No. 4 Alabama. The Wildcats improved to 19-9 on the season and 8-7 in league play after beating Oklahoma.
As we near the 2025 NCAA Tournament, AKA March Madness, Oweh and the Wildcats are leaning into the bit. The Big Dance is arguably the most hectic time in sports, with nerve-wracking moments like this being regular occurrences. Kentucky is starting the party a little early, and nobody's complaining about it, except maybe Oklahoma fans.