In a press Conference:Otega Oweh says Kentucky is hitting its stride at the right time: “This is really us”
This season, injuries have been a major theme for Kentucky, to the extent that many dismissed the Cats when it was announced that Jaxson Robinson would be sidelined for the rest of the year. The Cats’ victory over Missouri today, 91-83, is evidence that they still have some life left, partly because to the hardship they have endured in recent months.
Against Missouri, Kentucky had a terrible start, letting the Tigers take an 11–4 lead in the first seven minutes. Travis Perry’s three-pointer at 9:07 gave the Cats the lead after they rallied. Despite Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh going into foul trouble, they never let it back and led by nine at the half. Oweh scored 20 of his game-high 22 points after halftime, starting the second half with a bang.
He went on to say that the young players should take a lot of the credit for Kentucky’s late first-half surge. Freshmen Travis Perry, Trent Noah, and Collin Chandler scored nine points between them in the first half and played outstanding defense to keep Missouri at bay.
In his postgame radio interview, Oweh told Goose Givens, “That first half really established the tone.” “After that, Lamont and I received two quick fouls, but the second group—Collin Chandler, Koby Brea, Trent Noah, and Brandon Garrison—just brought the energy up. That is the main point we have been making, which is to get stops and play fierce defense. I feel like that first half really set the tempo for the entire game.”
Chandler scored eight points in the end, three points less than the career-high 11 he set against LSU on Tuesday. It could be argued that without all of the playing time they have had as a result of the ailments the Cats have faced, he, Noah, and Perry would not have felt comfortable taking the road as they did today.
Oweh remarked, “That just illustrates the composition of our team.” “I would argue that our roster has changed somewhat over the last few weeks and even this month. There has been a fluctuation in the number of injuries and such. Many of the young men had to mature quickly as a result. That simply demonstrates that we are far more experienced than the young men, who are prepared to play and understand what it takes to be present and make a significant contribution. Those young men performed admirably.
