Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe may have stolen the spotlight in Kentucky’s win over St. John’s, but Otega Oweh is the one taking home some hardware. Oweh was named SEC Co-Player of the Week for his performance vs. the Red Storm. The senior guard had a game-high 20 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the 78-66 win, Kentucky’s first over a ranked opponent this season.
With Lowe running the show and Quaintance manning the paint, Oweh could focus on being Oweh, bullying his way to the rim and going 8-9 from the free-throw line. In the second half, he was +12 in 17 minutes, looking every bit the Preseason SEC Player of the Year. His three steals make it seven games in a row with one or more, the longest stretch of his career. On defense, Oweh helped hold the Red Storm to a season-low 33.3% from the field.
“He is a unique player,” Mark Pope said of Oweh postgame. “When he does what he does, he has such a massive impact on the team.”
“These guys follow his fight,” Pope added. “When he’s physical, our team seems to be physical. When he’s cutting hard, they cut hard. When he’s talking, our team talks. It’s a big burden for him to carry, but he’s kinda working in that direction where he’s understanding and embracing it a little bit more. He’s a bellwether for our team.”
Oweh has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season, and 20+ points in two of the last three. He leads the team in scoring (14.5 points per game) and steals (21). This is his (and UK’s) first SEC Player of the Week honor of the season. He shares it with Tennessee’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie.