Tag: Otega Oweh

Kentucky knocks off another top ten opponent in a win over Tennessee

Kentucky basketball defeats a top ten Tennessee on Tuesday night in Knoxville.

The 2024-25 Kentucky basketball season has had its low points, including an ugly loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday. However, when they have played a ranked opponent, the Wildcats have been at their best. On Tuesday night in Knoxville, they did it again, taking down the Tennessee Volunteers 78-73.

Kentucky started out hot and jumped out to an early eight point lead. The Vols went on a 11-0 run before the half, though, and led by three at the break.

As they have all season, the Wildcats won the second half. They were up by as many as 11 at one point. Tennessee didn’t go away, and cut it to one with 30 seconds left, but Otega Oweh made four straight free throws to seal it.

Related: Alijah Arenas puts Kentucky in his final five

Koby Brea led five Wildcats in double figures with 18 points. Jaxson Robinson added 17, and Otega Oweh had 14. Ansley Almonor once again made some key shots, and Amari Williams had another double-double with 10 points and 15 big rebounds.

The win breaks a two game losing streak for Kentucky. It’s their fourth win this season against a top ten team, and they are 6-1 against ranked teams this season.

Kentucky falls to Vanderbilt after another brutal first half performance

Kentucky lost to Vanderbilt after another sloppy first half of basketball.

In what has become an unfortunate trend this season, Kentucky basketball played poorly in the first half of their game against Vanderbilt on Saturday. They turned it over 10 times on the way to a 41-27 halftime deficit.

The Wildcats made a comeback in the second half, and even took a lead at one point, but couldn’t make it hold up. The Commodores pull back out in front and held on to get a 74-69 win over the Cats.

Related: Looking at the last ten leading scorers for Kentucky

Otega Oweh was terrific for Kentucky. He had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Ansley Almonor added 12 points in a starting role, while Jaxson Robinson was the only other Wildcat in double figures, with 11.

Overall, Kentucky turned the ball over 17 times, while Vandy only had 5. It’s hard to beat anyone with that big of a difference.

Kentucky will play the Tennessee Volunteers on the road next with a very real danger of dropping three straight games, and falling below .500 in the SEC. Coach Mark Pope has to solve their first half issues, or the season could get out of control in a hurry.

Kentucky takes its first home loss of the season against Alabama

Kentucky played well, but dropped a close game to Alabama on Saturday.

The January schedule for Kentucky basketball has been a brutal one. Saturday’s matchup with the fourth ranked Alabama Crimson Tide is their fourth ranked SEC opponent in five games. They won the previous three, but came up short against the Tide, 102 – 97.

The Wildcats played very well in the loss. The out-shot Alabama overall and from three-point range, but lost the rebounding battle. Alabama also shot 14 more free throws, which was the biggest difference.

Related: Kentucky in the final three for Caleb Wilson

Otega Oweh led seven Wildcats in double figures with 21 points. Lamont Butler added 17 points and 8 assists. Amari Williams had another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The loss is Kentucky’s first at home this season. Losing a close game to a national championship contender is nothing be upset about, though.

The Wildcats are now 14 – 4 on the season, and 3 – 2 versus the SEC. They play Vanderbilt next, before another big showdown with the Tennessee Volunteers to close out a difficult January schedule.

Jaxson Robinson bounces back and leads Kentucky to a huge win

Kentucky went on the road and beat a ranked Mississippi State team on Saturday.

On Saturday night, Kentucky basketball had something to prove, despite their wins against top ten teams like Florida this season. After losing to Georgia earlier in the week, many questioned their ability to win on the road, especially in the SEC. On Saturday, they traveled to Starkville to play Mississippi State and walked out with a win.

The Wildcats avoided another slow first half behind a hot start from Jaxson Robinson. They scored 49 points and led by five at halftime. In the second half, they pulled ahead by 14, but Mississippi State came back.

Related: Kentucky a four-seed in updated Bracketology

They would take a lead with seven minutes to go, but Ansley Almonor hit three consecutive shots from three-point range. The Bulldogs would trim it to one, but Robinson and Lamont Butler would put it away and Kentucky won 95 – 90.

Robinson led the way for Kentucky with 27 points. He was 7-of-10 from three point range. Otega Oweh added 15 points and 8 rebounds. Amari Williams recorded another double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.

It was a big win, and a confidence boost for the Wildcats, who advance to 13 – 3 on the year, and 2 – 1 in the SEC. They’ll take on the Texas A&M Aggies, another ranked team, later this week.

Another slow start dooms Kentucky basketball against Georgia

Kentucky struggled in the first half once again in a loss to Georgia on Tuesday.

If Tuesday night’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs seemed familiar to fans, it’s because it was. A slow start and more struggled with physical defense hindered Kentucky basketball, and they lost to the Bulldogs 82 – 69.

It was a close game early on, and the Wildcats led by four halfway through the first half. However, Georgia’s shots began to fall, and they went on a 21 – 13 run that put them in front to stay.

The Bulldogs, like other teams this year, took advantage of Kentucky’s frontcourt deficiencies and got a lot of easy shots. The Cats trailed by 13 at halftime.

Related: Kentucky up to a two-seed in latest Bracketology

Kentucky played better in the second half. They made a run and cut the lead to five, but Georgia went on and 11 – 4 run to put it basically out of reach.

Lamont Butler led the way for Kentucky with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Otega Oweh added 12 points and 7 boards. Brandon Garrison had his best game, with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

Overall, it was another ugly statistical night for the Wildcats. They made just 37% of their shots and just 24% from three-point range. They were out-rebounded once again as well, something that has been a consistent problem.

Kentucky won’t have a lot of time to lick their wounds. They’ll take on the 14th ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, January 11th.

Kentucky basketball bounces back with a blowout win over Brown

Kentucky basketball got a win over Brown to close out their non-conference schedule.

Kentucky basketball had to wait ten days to try and bounce back after their ugly loss to Ohio State. Finally, they got their chance, and took advantage of it, beating Brown 88 – 56 on New Year’s Eve.

The win moves the Wildcats to 11 – 2 on the year. That ends their non-conference schedule, and the complete 2024 ranked 11th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The win over Brown was a dominant one, and a team effort.

Related: New Year’s resolutions for Kentucky basketball

Andrew Carr led the way for Kentucky, with 14 points. Otega Oweh had 13 points, as did Amari Williams and Koby Brea. Everyone got involved, however, with nine different Wildcats scoring at least four points.

It was a close game for the first several minutes. The Cats got it going, though, and 12 at the half. The second half was all Kentucky and they pulled away.

Kentucky begins SEC play on January 4th against the Florida Gators, who haven’t lost a game to this point. It should be a fun game.

Kentucky’s shooting woes resurface in a loss to Ohio State

Kentucky basketball had a tough shooting night in a loss to Ohio State.

An unfortunate pattern has emerged this season for Kentucky basketball, and it reared its head again against Ohio State at the CBS Classic on Saturday. Teams that play a physical style of defense, like Clemson did, bother the Wildcats, knocking them off their game.

From start to finish, the Buckeyes refused to back down against Kentucky, and used their physicality, especially against the guards. It resulted in another poor shooting night for Kentucky, and they fell 85 – 65.

Related: How the players who left Kentucky basketball are doing

As a team, Kentucky shot just 29% from the field and a woeful 18% from three-point range. Ohio State, meanwhile, made 56% of their shots overall, and 26% from deep.

The Cats were led by Otega Oweh, who had 21 points, but 13 of those points came at the free throw line. Andrew Carr had 12, and Jaxson Robinson had 11. Nobody else scored in double figures.

It was Kentucky’s worst performance of the season in every phase of the game. They will play Brown on December 31st, then begin SEC play. They’d better figure out how to avoid nights like this against a loaded conference this season.

Kentucky downs Georgia State in a contentious matchup on Friday

Kentucky basketball pulls away in the second half to beat Georgia State.

When Kentucky basketball faced off with Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers kept things close by playing a physical style that took the Wildcats out of their rhythm. Georgia State took the same approach, but that physicality nearly resulted in a brawl, and ended with a 29 point win for the Cats.

In the second half, the Panthers pulled to within six points when Clash Peters attempted to keep Amari Williams from posting him up by shoving him to the ground. He was called for a flagrant foul, and Kentucky took advantage, and began to pull away from there.

Related: Five things Kentucky fans should be thankful for

Kentucky outscored Georgia State 42 – 23 after that point and won the game 105 – 76. They’re now 7 – 0 on the season, surpassing the expectations of many.

Jaxson Robinson’s 19 points paced the Wildcats, while Lamont Butler was once again terrific, adding 17 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Otega Oweh had 12 points and a spectacular breakaway dunk.

Kentucky opens December by playing Clemson in the SEC/ACC Challenge. It will be a good test for the Wildcats.

The offense has been a key for Kentucky’s strong 2024 start

Kentucky basketball is one of the nation’s best offense teams so far in 2024.

It’s no secret that the Kentucky Wildcats are off and flying to start their season. They’re 6-0 and up to a two seed in ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi’s latest prediction, but what’s gotten the Wildcats to this point?

Thus far it’s been Kentucky’s high-flying offense, which features as one of the best in the nation.

Kentucky currently has the top-ranked Power 4 scoring offense, putting up 95.3 points per game. They’re third overall in the country, only trailing Utah State (98.6) and UNC Wilmington (97.5).

So what’s gotten Kentucky to this point of offensive prowess? How about passing the rock.

Related: Kentucky offers the son of a former NBA great

The Wildcats are also fourth in total assists, racking up 125 (20.8 per game) through their first six contests. They trail only Utah (22.5), Utah State (21.2), and defending national champion UConn (21.0).

With that, the Wildcats haven’t turned the ball over. They’re seventh in the nation in assist to turnover ratio, assisting a basket over twice as much as they give the ball up. Kentucky holds a 2.02 ratio — turning the ball over only 62 times against those 125 assists.

They’re taking advantage of that ball movement and security — utilizing it to capitalize on it in the open court. Kentucky is second in the nation in fast break points (23.0), only trailing NC State (28.4).

In addition, the Wildcats have been strong overall shooting at 39.9% from beyond the arc and 50.2% from the field.

Several Wildcats have had incredibly strong starts shooting, including senior guard Koby Brea (64.6% from the field, 67.6% from three) and junior guard Otega Oweh (56.5%, 44.4%).

Kentucky basketball returns this Friday night for their next matchup, with the Wildcats slated to take on Georgia State (3-3) in Lexington at 7 p.m.

Kentucky pulls away late to beat Western KY in a physical game

Kentucky basketball defeats Western Kentucky 87 – 68 on Tuesday night.

The number eight ranked Kentucky basketball team faced off with Western Kentucky on Tuesday evening, in an in-state matchup. It would be a battle throughout, with both teams playing a physical brand of basketball. In the end the Wildcats would pull away and win 87 – 68, though it wouldn’t be easy.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well, especially from three-point range. Kentucky was able to use their size advantage inside and get points in the paint, however.

Related: SEC basketball power rankings for week four

Andrew Carr and Otega Oweh each scored 18 points on the night. Carr added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Lamont Butler was the only other Wildcat with double figures in points with 14. He also had 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the game.

Overall, it was a sloppy game, and one marred by fouls. The teams combined for 49 fouls and 73 free throw attempts.

The Hilltoppers did a good job of forcing Kentucky to change their game plan, and keeping them off balance. In the end, the Wildcats just had too much talent and pulled away.

Kentucky is now 6 – 0 on the season, and plays Georgia State next, to close out the month of October.