Kentucky Riding High, Prepares for Oklahoma with Eyes on SEC Climb
Kentucky is heating up at just the right time.
After a rocky 0-2 start in SEC play, the Wildcats have flipped the script - winning six of their last seven and charging into the top tier of the conference standings. Their latest statement?
An 85-77 road win over then-No. 15 Arkansas, a game that showcased the kind of grit and offensive punch that’s starting to define this team’s identity.
Now sitting at 15-7 overall and 6-3 in SEC play, Kentucky is showing the kind of momentum that could turn a once-questionable season into something special.
“We’re on a journey,” head coach Mark Pope said. “And it might not be the journey that anybody anticipated.
But I love it. I tell you, I’ve never coached a team like this.
To be dead and buried like we were, and then just keep saying, ‘You know what? Doesn’t matter.
We’re coming back, man. We’re coming back.’”
That comeback mentality is more than just talk - it’s showing up on the scoreboard and in the box score.
Leading the charge is Otega Oweh, who’s been nothing short of relentless in conference play. The junior wing has scored 20 or more points in seven of Kentucky’s nine SEC games, and he’s been a model of consistency all season long, hitting double digits in every game.
His scoring average has jumped more than two points during league play, now sitting at a team-best 16.6 points per game. He’s doing it with a mix of physical drives, mid-range polish, and a motor that doesn’t quit.
Kentucky's turnaround hasn’t been about just one guy, though. The Wildcats are starting to look like a team that’s figuring out how to win together - defending with more urgency, sharing the ball, and trusting each other in big moments. That trust will be critical as they welcome Oklahoma to Lexington on Wednesday night.
The Sooners come in at 11-11 (1-8 SEC), and while the record doesn’t jump off the page, there’s more to the story. Oklahoma has dropped eight straight since winning its SEC opener, but six of those losses have come by 10 points or fewer.
One of them? A heartbreaker - a one-point overtime loss on a buzzer-beater.
That kind of stretch can wear on a team, but head coach Porter Moser isn’t letting up.
“We have to do everything we can to prepare for each game right now,” Moser said. “But, man, none of us, I’m not accepting. I want to be in a different spot in the standings.”
Despite the struggles, Oklahoma has some offensive firepower. Nijel Pack (16.3 points per game) and Xzayvier Brown (16.2) are both capable of lighting it up, and Pack in particular has been dangerous from deep, hitting 42.8% from beyond the arc. If they get hot, they can make things uncomfortable for any opponent - even one playing as well as Kentucky.
There’s also some recent history between these two programs. They met twice last season, and both games came down to the wire - one-point wins for Kentucky in each.
The drama was dialed up even further by Oweh, who played for Oklahoma from 2022 to 2024 before transferring to Kentucky. He hit the game-winner in both matchups last year, including a clutch shot in the SEC tournament on March 14.
So yeah, there’s a little extra juice in this one.
For Kentucky, the mission is clear: keep the momentum rolling, protect home court, and continue climbing the SEC ladder. For Oklahoma, it’s about finding a way to stop the skid and remind everyone they’re more than just a team stuck in a losing streak.
Tipoff in Lexington should be electric.