Otega Oweh named SEC Preseason Player of the Year, Kentucky picked to finish 2nd

otega-oweh-voted-sec-preseason-player-of-the-year-kentucky-picked-to-finish-2nd — Kentucky senior guard Otega Oweh during Big Blue Madness - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Kentucky may not be the preseason favorite to win the SEC, but the Cats have the best player in the league in the eyes of the media. Otega Oweh was just named SEC Preseason Player of the Year after a stellar first year in Lexington.

The senior guard is one of just two Cats to receive honors. Oweh was named First Team All-SEC, while Jaland Lowe made the Third Team. Kentucky was picked to finish second in the SEC behind the defending national champion Florida Gators. Behind the Cats: Tennessee (No. 3), Alabama (No. 4), and Arkansas (No. 5).

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Last season, Oweh led the Cats in scoring at 16.2 points per game and began the year by scoring in double figures in the first 26 contests and 33 overall. He was a second-team All-SEC selection and also earned National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District First-Team honors. Oweh is the seventh Kentucky Wildcat to be named SEC Preseason Player of the Year since the poll began in 1997. No other school has more than three.

Last season at Pitt, Lowe earned Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team honors as a sophomore. He led the Panthers with 16.8 points per game, while also averaging 4.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He was joined on the preseason All-SEC Third Team by Ole Miss’ Malik Dia, Alabama’s Aden Holloway, Arkansas’ Karter Knox, and D.J. Wagner. Nate Ament, who considered Kentucky before committing to Tennessee, is on the Second Team, along with former Kentucky commit and Arkansas Razorback Boogie Fland, who now plays for Florida.