The Kentucky Wildcats are now riding a five-game winning streak after defeating the Texas Longhorns and the Ole Miss Rebels this past week. The Wildcats are now 14-6 and have won their last five games
in conference play after starting SEC play 0-2 for the first time since 2005-06.
The Cats couldn’t have picked a better time to start building momentum as they head into the week with two huge showdowns on the road, as they face Vanderbilt on Tuesday in Nashville, then head to Fayetteville on Saturday to take on Arkansas.
Despite a slow start in SEC play, the Wildcats have a huge opportunity this week to show not only the SEC but the whole country what they’re really made of.
Now, here’s a look at whose stock is up after last week’s wins over Texas and Ole Miss.
Jasper Johnson
Johnson had a relatively quiet night last Wednesday against Texas, but the freshman guard bounced back in a major way in Saturday’s win over the Ole Miss Rebels as he finished the outing with 11 points. He also was three for six from distance, which played a role in the Cats’ victory. As of late, it seems Johnson’s gaining more and more confidence game by game, and the more burn he gets, the more confident he will continue to get.
Collin Chandler
Another individual who had a big week for the Cats was sophomore guard Collin Chandler. Chandler finished Wednesday’s outing against Texas with a career high 18 points and also grabbed seven boards. He also came up big in the final minute of Saturday’s game against Ole Miss as he knocked down a late three that ultimately ended up extending the Cats’ winning streak to five. With Kam Williams out for the foreseeable future, this version of Collin Chandler will have to show up more and more if the Cats want to continue to roll.
Denzel Aberdeen
Aberdeen led the Cats to victory over the Longhorns as he finished with a game-high 19 points this past Wednesday. He also hit some clutch free throws down the stretch that played a key role in the Cats’ 85-80 victory against Texas. Saturday was kind of a quiet afternoon for him as he was in foul trouble for the majority of the game. Aberdeen finished with only 6 points, but despite his struggles from the floor, he dished out 5 assists against the Rebels and hit some clutch free throws in the final minute.
Otega Oweh
The senior star guard Otega Oweh continues to be the go-to guy for the Cats whenever they need a bucket on the offensive end. Oweh led the Cats past the Longhorns this past Tuesday as he finished with 18 points. Although he got off to a slow start against Ole Miss this past Saturday due to foul trouble, Oweh scored 20 of his 23 points in the 2nd half as the Cats cruised past the Rebels thanks to his monstrous second half. Through seven games of conference play, Otega Oweh has scored 20 or more in five of those outings for the Wildcats.
