Otega Oweh hauls in a preseason First Team All-American honor

The 2025-26 college basketball season is already a week in, but preseason honors continue to roll out.

On Monday, The Sporting News announced its three preseason All-American teams. You can probably guess which Wildcat make the list, too. Senior guard Otega Oweh was recognized as a preseason First Team All-American by the outlet, as he was grouped with the likes of Braden Smith (Purdue), JT Toppin (Texas Tech), Darryn Peterson (Kansas), and AJ Dybansta (BYU).

“Why he’s here: Oweh’s return to play his senior season at Kentucky is one of the biggest reasons the Wildcats are Final Four contenders,” Mike Decourcy of The Sporting News wrote. “They needed someone around whom to build an offense, and while it will be a challenge to become a 20-point scorer, he has the ability and temperament to handle the step up to No. 1 option. He knows what it’s like to lead Kentucky in shots, but that was at 11.5 per game in a very balanced attack. This team will thrive if he can manage 13 to 15 attempts per game with the same efficiency he delivered for last season’s Sweet 16 team.”

Oweh has previously been named a preseason All-American by the likes of CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The Field of 68, and others. He was also one of 20 players named to the NABC Player of the Year award watch list. And of course, both the league coaches and media members tabbed him as the preseason SEC Player of the Year.

.@OtegaOweh is named to the @sportingnews Early Season All-America First Team.

📰🔗 https://t.co/iN35263r9C pic.twitter.com/hWzanZbzDZ

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 10, 2025

At least through two regular season games for the Wildcats (both blowout wins), Oweh doesn’t appear to have lost a step in his game, and that’s in spite of missing significant time in the offseason due to turf toe. In 22 minutes per outing, the 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 14 points and four rebounds while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. He’s been Kentucky’s second leading scorer thus far behind only Collin Chandler (14.5 PPG).

Oweh’s next challenge comes on Tuesday night (8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN) when he and Kentucky hit the road to face Louisville in the Battle of the Bluegrass. He had 17 points and three assists in the Wildcats’ win last season in Rupp Arena. What will he have in store for this year’s edition of the rivalry?

Below are the three preseason All-American Teams as selected by The Sporting News. Louisville freshman Mikel Brown was named to the Second Team, while Purdue is the lone school with multiple picks: Smith (First Team) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (Third Team). Four freshmen made up the 15 spots.

First Team

• Braden Smith (Purdue)
• JT Toppin (Texas Tech)
• Otega Oweh (Kentucky)
• Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
• AJ Dybansta (BYU)

Second Team

• Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
• Donovan Dent (UCLA)
• Milos Uzan (Houston)
• Cameron Boozer (Duke)
• Mikel Brown (Louisville)

Third Team

• Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s)
• Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue)
• Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
• Alex Karaban (UConn)
• Graham Ike (Gonzaga)

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