We hear it all the time in sports, whether as a fan, media member, or in our time playing them: Execute the fundamentals. Do the ordinary things really well, and the rest will take care of itself.
Mark Pope had an interesting way to say that to Otega Oweh earlier this season, when it looked like Oweh was struggling and not playing at the level we saw last season. During the game at Tennessee three weeks ago, ESPN’s Dan Shulman said on the broadcast that Pope told Oweh, “You can’t focus on the icing.
You’ve got to bake the cake.”
Clearly, that has resonated with Oweh. The result has been a cake that keeps getting layers added to it, eight to be exact. Oweh has eight games in SEC play with 20+ points. In each of his last two games, Oweh has scored 24 points in both of them.
“He’s a bad dude,” assistant coach Jason Hart said. “You know, Otega Oweh is a really good basketball player. He’s consistent, he’s our leader. You know, sometimes I kinda be in awe watching him. He’s been playing at a high level, and that’s why he was Preseason SEC Player of the Year.”
Oweh only scored 20+ points twice in non-conference play. In SEC play, he’s been a totally different player. He’s shooting 49.3 percent from the floor, 37.2 percent from three-point range, has four games with five+ rebounds, and has 19 steals.
“He’s just our go-to guy, always has been,” Andrija Jelavic said. “It’s not really a big deal when he scores 20 plus. That’s just something we count on him to do, and that’s something he does every game, and the most important thing is that he scores on all three levels.
“It’s not just that he scores inside or outside, he’s forced three’s, mid-ranges, fancy rebounds. He scores slashing, and yeah, that’s really important for us, and when he’s on the court, he’s our leader. He’s the oldest one, the most experienced one, we’re looking after him.”
Kentucky’s best player is playing like this team’s best player. It has raised the ceiling for this Kentucky team, a team that has won seven of eight since an 0-2 start to SEC play and 11 of 14 since whatever that was against Gonzaga. Oweh has 10 games with 20+ points since then.
“Otega is just an elite player,” Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser said. “He can knock down the shot, and he puts you in a real decision-making mode of ball screens, because he can turn the corner on you, and now he’s making really good decisions passing out of it. He’s becoming a complete player. He’s so strong on defense.”
In three games since transferring from Oklahoma to Kentucky, Oweh has torched the Sooners. He has scored at least 24 points in each of them. Last season, Oweh hit game-winners in both games against the Sooners. Wednesday night, he didn’t need to unleash his flair for the dramatic. He took over the game in the second half and led Kentucky in shutting the door on Wednesday night’s game and his former team’s season.
The cake Oweh is baking has a lot of layers to it already, and a lot more seem poised to be added. If Oweh keeps producing at this level, that final layer is going to be placed higher and higher. Final… Four? With Oweh playing like this, anything seems possible. He’s focusing on baking the cake. The rest, as it has for nearly all of Kentucky’s last eight games, is taking care of itself.
