Tag: Otega Oweh

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.

Kentucky sets season-high in points in their win over Jackson St

Kentucky gets a blowout victory over Jackson State 108 – 59 on Saturday.

Kentucky basketball is 5 – 0 after defeating Jackson State on Friday night. The Wildcats scored a season high 108 points, led by Koby Brea and Otega Oweh, who both scored 20+ points. The game would end with a 108 – 59 final score.

The Cats shot the ball well from three-point range, making 17-of-39 overall. Koby Brea was 5-of-8 from deep, while Collin Chandler made two of his three attempts. Jackson Robinson made four from beyond the arc.

Related: Caleb Wilson down to five schools, including Kentucky

Five Wildcats scored in double figures. Brea and Oweh led the way, but Robinson added 14 points. Lamont Butler and Ansley Almonor scored 11 and 10 respectively.

Brandon Garrison had a terrific game as well. He scored just six points, but added eight rebounds, six, assists, and three blocked shots. Kerr Kriisa led Kentucky with seven assists.

Up next for the Wildcats is Western Kentucky. That will take place on November 26th at Rupp Arena, and should represent a little tougher challenge for Kentucky.

The best photos from Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb on Tuesday

Here are the best images from Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb on Tuesday.

Kentucky basketball has begun the Mark Pope era by winning their first four games. The latest victory was on Tuesday, against the Lipscomb Bisons by a score of 97 – 68.

The Wildcats are off to a hot start, including a win over the Duke Blue Devils that jumped them up the 11th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Their win over Lipscomb didn’t have as much drama as that one, though.

Related: Kentucky women’s basketball up three spots in coaches poll

Jaxson Robinson bounced back from a down game versus Duke to lead Kentucky with 20 points. Lamont Jackson had perhaps his best game so far, with 16 points and several nice defensive plays. Otega Oweh also filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and an assist.

The end result was another big offensive output for the Cats, and a blowout victory. Pope’s Wildcats are 4 – 0, and have impressed opponents and analysts alike.

As always, there were a number of great pictures taken from the game. Here are the best of those images:

The Mark Pope era at Kentucky starts off with a blowout victory

Kentucky basketball begins the season with a win over Wright State 103 – 62 in Mark Pope’s first game as coach.

It’s a new era of Kentucky basketball under new coach Mark Pope, and his first season began on Monday night against Wright State. Like their exhibition games against Kentucky Wesleyan and Minnesota State, the Cats not only won, but did so in a big way, winning 103 – 62.

The Wildcats offense once again demonstrated just what their goal will be. They pushed the ball up the floor quickly, and shot the ball well from three-point range, leading to a lot of points.

Related: Class of 2025 guard Acaden Lewis commits to Kentucky

Otega Oweh led the way for Kentucky with 21 points. He was 3-of-3 on three-pointers. Koby Brea also shot it well, making 4-of-4 from deep, and scoring 18 points. Four other Wildcats were in double figures.

Amari Williams had a big game as well, with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Lamont Butler also did a bit of everything, with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

Up next for Pope and Kentucky is Bucknell. That game will be on Saturday, November 9th. Congratulations to Coach Pope on his first win as Kentucky’s head coach.

Sooners forward Jalon Moore announces return for 2024-2025 season

Oklahoma Sooners basketball got a huge boost with Jalon Moore announcing his return for the 2024-2025 season.

It’s been another tumultuous offseason for Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball program. They’ve had to be active once again in the transfer portal and have made several significant additions to the roster. One of the lingering decisions was that of [autotag]Jalon Moore[/autotag], who announced on Wednesday evening that he’s returning to the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2024-2025 season.

Moore, who had explored going on to the NBA, was one of the bright spots for the Sooners last season. He emerged as a consistent scoring threat with his athleticism and ability to finish around the bucket. There were stretches of the season where he was the Sooners best player.

He finished third on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game and led the Sooners in rebounding at 6.7 boards per game. He had 17 games in double figures, shooting an efficient 51.7% from the field and 41% from three. Moore was also third on the team in minutes at 25.6 per game.

Moore will likely have an expanded role as one of the few key rotation players returning this year.

The Sooners lost [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag], [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag], and [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] to the transfer portal and [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag] and [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] to graduation. Despite their additions, that’s a lot of turnover. Moore gives the Oklahoma Sooners minutes at both small and power forward spots and should see his minutes approach 30 a game in 2024-2025.

 

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Kentucky Wildcats basketball lands Oklahoma Sooners transfer Otega Oweh

Former Oklahoma wing Otega Oweh has committed to Kentucky basketball.

It could prove to be a big week for Kentucky basketball, with several players in the transfer portal visiting with new coach Mark Pope. After landing guard Lamont Butler on Friday, Pope gets another commitment on Saturday, this time from small forward Otega Oweh.

Oweh visited Kentucky on Thursday, and apparently it went well. The former Oklahoma Sooners wing player announced his decision on Instagram.

Last season, with the Sooners, Oweh averaged 11.4 points per game while shooting 37% from three-point range. In keeping with the defensive theme, he also is a solid perimeter defender, averaging 1.5 steals per game in the 2023-24 season.

Oweh came out of high school as a top 100 player, rated four stars. He’s got the strength to be a good rebounder, and the toughness to score in the paint.

The newest Wildcat will be a solid addition the roster, and is now the fifth commit to the 2024-25 squad. Big Blue Nation should be excited about this one.

Sooners guard Javian McCollum to enter the transfer portal

After leading the Oklahoma Sooners in scoring, Javian McCollum set to enter the tranfer portal. Another big portal loss for the Sooners.

The exodus continues for the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball program. After just missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the third season in a row, [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag] and the Sooners have another rebuild ahead of them.

Oklahoma had already lost [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] and [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag] to eligibility and have now lost [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag], [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag], and [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] to the portal. Well add Javian McCollum to the list of portal entries from Oklahoma as Joe Tipton of On3 reports McCollum will depart OU after just one season.

McCollum was a big addition for the Sooners, coming over after a nice career with Sienna. McCollum led Oklahoma in scoring at 13.3 points per game and also averaged 3.4 assists per game, sharing point guard duties with Uzan.

Though his time in Norman was short-lived, McCollum made an impact. He’ll be most remembered for the shot he hit against Oklahoma State at the buzzer to help the Sooners beat the Cowboys in overtime and secure the Bedlam sweep.

With McCollum gone, the Sooners have lost nearly 50 points per game in departures this offseason.

A third straight year of roster turnover will put a bigger spotlight on Moser and his staff as they prepare for their first season in the SEC.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Oklahoma star Otega Oweh a transfer portal dream for UCLA

Otega Oweh an option for UCLA in the portal.

The UCLA Bruins are doing whatever they can to get the men’s basketball program back on track for the 2024-2025 season. The Bruins have reached out to a number of players in the portal.

Perhaps the biggest player on their radar is Oklahoma Sooners star Otega Oweh. Oweh entered the portal and has been contacted by a large number of programs, per Dylan Lutey. The programs that have expressed early interest in Oweh include Oregon, Illinois, BYU, Georgetown, Missouri, Wake Forest, Utah, Virginia Tech, Washington, Indiana, Xavier, and LSU along with the Bruins.

Milos Uzan and John Hugley are two other Sooners who entered the portal at the end of the season, so there are a lot of changes coming in Norman for the men’s team.

Oweh was the second-leading scorer for the Sooners at 11.2 PPG with 3.7 rebounds and had 16 points in the Sooners’ final game against TCU.

He just finished his sophomore campaign so he has a lot of eligibility left and will be an intriguing option in the portal.