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KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's double-digit win over Oklahoma

Jack PIlgrimby: Jack Pilgrim02/05/26

Kentucky just needed to protect its home floor in this one, taking on an Oklahoma team riding an eight-game losing streak with Porter Moser coaching for his job. It was trap game territory for the Wildcats, coming off an emotional win at Arkansas, preparing for the Tennessee rematch this weekend with the debut of the denim throwbacks and the 1996 national championship team in town. They couldn’t afford to let the momentum of six wins in seven tries with a shot at seven of eight slip through their fingers — certainly not against Quad 3 competition.

The result? Exactly what the doctor ordered, Kentucky turning a back-and-forth first half into a double-digit lead at the break, thanks to an 8-0 run down the stretch. The momentum would only pick up in the second, pushing ahead by 19 in the opening segment. That would lead to a 94-78 victory to move to 16-7 on the year and 7-3 in the SEC.

How did it all happen? KSR has the top takeaways from Rupp Arena.

A red-hot shooting start (and finish)

Kentucky made 10 of its first 11 shots in Fayetteville, doing its best to leave slow start accusations in the rearview mirror. That cushion allowed the Wildcats to make some mistakes later (and even give up the lead) while staying within striking distance to make their final move for the kill.

Against Oklahoma, it remained a one-score game through the first 10 minutes and the Sooners had it at three with 3:54 on the clock — then the takeover began. Back-to-back threes and a layup later, the Cats turned the 8-0 run into an 11-point lead going into halftime, thanks to a 9-16 mark from deep. At the time, five different players knocked down shots from the perimeter.

They’d slow down their pace after intermission, but the efficiency wouldn’t go anywhere, finishing 12-26 from three for a hit rate of 46.2 percent. That’s to go with 50 percent from the field overall and 81.5 percent at the line, scoring a ridiculous 1.469 points per possession on the night.

That compares to 44/34/90 splits for the Sooners on 1.238 PPP — fine, but not enough to keep the pace. Moser’s group came in ranked No 140 in defensive efficiency and No. 247 nationally in scoring defense, and UK took advantage.

Otega Oweh continues to be the Sooner killer

The former Oklahoma guard could not match his 27.5-point-per-game average against the Sooners from a year ago, nor could he even hit a game-winner — some SEC Player of the Year candidate Otega Oweh is…

Instead, he just decided to go for a wildly efficient 24 points on 7-11 shooting, 3-4 from three and 7-9 at the line while adding three rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. It was his fourth straight 20-point outing and eighth in 10 games since the start of league play, giving him 16 in the SEC regular season since his arrival. That’s second only to Antonio Reeves (19) dating back to 1996-97.

The fact of the matter is that Oweh is an obvious back-to-back All-SEC lock, unfazed by the increased workload (30-plus minutes in 12 of the last 13) with the team happily riding him until the wheels fall off. After a relatively slow start to the season, he’s more than made up for it as a bonafide superstar who is playing the best basketball of his career with the postseason right around the corner.

Imagine how Moser feels? Actually, I can tell you exactly how he feels right now after letting him go to an SEC competitor.

“Otega’s just an elite player,” he said following Kentucky’s win. “… He’s just becoming a complete player, he’s so strong on defense.”

His old coach got to hear the fanbase sing the former Sooner’s name at the top of their lungs as he took the game over in the second half.

“OWEHHHH, OWEH, OWEH, OWEHHHH! OWEHHHH! OWEHHH!”

We’re taking good care of him in Lexington, Coach.

Brandon Garrison earns his first double-double as a Wildcat

Oweh was terrific, but that’s to be expected. What wasn’t expected was Garrison putting together the best all-around performance of his time in Lexington, finishing with 20 points on 7-8 shooting and 6-6 at the line with 11 rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes for the first double-double of his Kentucky career and just the second in 90 total games dating back to his time at Oklahoma State. There, he had one 11-point, 10-rebound game against South Carolina State. He had three 20-point outings as a Cowboy, but this was his first across two seasons as a Wildcat.

Garrison was doing some interesting things in the first half with four points, four rebounds and an assist, but then unleashed his inner beast in the second with 16, seven and two alone in 17 minutes for 29 overall. His only turnover came at the 13:50 mark of the first, playing clean basketball the rest of the way. He had the individual play of the game, too, converting on a putback and-one up eight with 2:41 to go, killing Oklahoma’s attempt at one final push before leaving with the double-digit loss.

Oh, and he still got his technical with 1.3 seconds left after an early dust-up that saw him have some choice words with Tae Davis on a hard foul.

That was after begging for the ball on a breakaway dunk to give him his first 20-point game as a Cat — something the Sooners didn’t love, obviously.

But that’s what makes BG special. And that’s why he’s KSR’s PARLOUR Pizza Player of the Game!

Make PARLOUR your game day destination! From award-winning pizzas like The Dr. or fan favorite Hot Honey Pepperoni to PARLOUR’s famous house-smoked wings and extensive craft beer selection, PARLOUR has a menu that will please the whole family! Their location on Harrodsburg Road is just a short drive from Rupp Arena.

Don’t miss out on their great Happy Hour. Come in Monday thru Friday from 2-6pm to enjoy discounted pints, cocktails, and starters. 

Parlour is looking forward to celebrating two new locations during the first half of 2026. Coming soon to Lexington Hamburg and Richmond, KY!

Whether you’re sipping a hand-crafted cocktail or sharing one of our signature pizzas, PARLOUR is a place where great food and good times come together naturally. 

Collin Chandler’s confidence is on a different planet

At one point, it appeared Chandler’s minutes were not only dwindling, but he was falling out of the rotation entirely. He played just five minutes in the team’s loss to Missouri on January 7 coming off four straight games of fewer than 20.

The sophomore guard played 19 in the win over Mississippi State, but in the seven games since, he’s earned no fewer than 23 minutes with three of 30-plus. And his production has justified the increase, scoring seven-plus in all but one with five double-figure efforts in six outings. That includes two 18-point performances — both career-highs.

One of those came tonight against the Sooners, shooting 6-13 from the field and 4-8 from three while adding three rebounds, three assists and a steal in a career-high 34 minutes. He was responsible for a pair of triples at the end of the first half during Kentucky’s 8-0 run to push ahead by 11 at the break, along with another full-court heave that nearly dropped at the halftime buzzer because it was that kind of day for No. 5.

His confidence is soaring and only increasing by the game. With that has come Chandler digging deeper and deeper into his bag of tricks as a shot creator and finisher, showing off new money-making moves as he inches closer toward his potential as a top-35 recruit. We already knew he had ice in his veins, coming up big in late-game situations for the Wildcats this season, but he’s becoming much more than a clutch-time specialist for this team.

He’s becoming someone you can trust to do a lot of the heavy lifting for you, averaging 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from three in his last six.

It’s a necessary development for Kentucky with injuries piling up and depth taking a serious hit. As Chandler’s role has expanded in recent weeks, he’s responded with some seriously impressive stuff.

Don’t look now, but Kentucky is now third in the SEC

With Alabama’s 100-97 win over Texas A&M on Wednesday, there is now a two-way tie for first in the SEC between the Aggies (7-2) and Florida Gators (7-2). Behind those two? Your Kentucky Wildcats (7-3), who are in position to control their own destiny as a double-bye team in the SEC Tournament the rest of the way.

Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Tennessee are tied for fourth behind the blue and white at 6-3 in league play, followed by the Tide, Missouri and Auburn all tied for seventh at 5-4. Texas is right behind at 10th (5-5) with Georgia at 11th (4-5) and Ole Miss and Mississippi State tied for 12th (3-6). LSU (2-7), South Carolina (2-8) and Oklahoma (1-9) are all at the bottom of the list at 14th, 15th and 16th, respectively.

The road only gets tougher from here for UK with six Quad 1 matchups in eight games through February and early March, but winning seven of eight puts you right where you want to be before a run in Nashville and at the NCAA Tournament.

It starts with (another) win over the Volunteers.

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2026-03-13