Otega Oweh doesn't care if he's underrated, he just wants to win

After two excellent exhibition game performances, Otega Oweh‘s breakout continued into the season opener. In Kentucky’s 103-62 win over Wright State on Monday night, the Oklahoma transfer finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-9 shooting, including a perfect 3-3 mark from deep. He chipped in three rebounds, three steals, one assist, and one block in a team-high 27 minutes.

On both ends of the floor, Oweh made an impact. Whether it was active hands on defense or calculated shot attempts, the 6-foot-4 guard found ways to consistently insert himself into the action. His only bad shot was a forced long-two early in the first half. Otherwise, he was nearly flawless.

“I thought especially Otega had a really special night defensively,” Head coach Mark Pope said postgame.

Otega Oweh vs. Wright State:

🔹 8/9 FG (3/3 3 PT)
🔹 21 PTS
🔹 3 REB
🔹 3 STL

🔗: https://t.co/69hpSRBrRv pic.twitter.com/f9GK5vHMR2

— Daniel Hager (@DanielHagerKSR) November 5, 2024

We’ve talked about it before, how Oweh transferred to Kentucky as one of the bigger unknowns among the group. He wasn’t one of the many fourth- or fifth-year players coming to Lexington, or the former McDonald’s All-American center, or the trio of talented freshmen. In that sense, he was a bit of the “odd man out” when it came to the new-look, 12-man Kentucky roster.

Oweh felt a bit of that too, but it goes back beyond his arrival at UK. It doesn’t bother him though. If anything, it’s helped with the way he attacks his personal development.

“I feel like I’ve always been underrated but it don’t really bother me because whatever it is I gotta do that’s gonna help us win, I’m gonna go do it,” Oweh said. “If I gotta score, I’ll do it. If I gotta defend, pass, anything, I’ll do it.“

Oweh was already a respectable player coming out of high school. He was a four-star recruit who played AAU basketball alongside dudes who are currently in the NBA. The New Jersey native was solid his freshman season at Oklahoma before taking a leap as a sophomore the following season. It appears he’s taken another leap now in his junior campaign.

“It’s interesting. As a player, there’s always this process about limiting your game just a little bit, just slightly, so that your game can expand massively. That process takes a ton of trust,” Pope said. “Coach (Mark) Fox has done an unbelievable job mentoring Otega. He spends a lot of time with Otega and Otega has done an unbelievable job trusting and being receptive. He’s simplified his game just a little bit in just a couple very specific areas and he’s become a brilliant decision-maker.“

Whatever those simplifications were have paid off, at least through one regular season game. If this is the version of Oweh we see all season, Kentucky struck some serious gold.