Clara Strack may be the 'worst', but Otega Oweh is Kentucky's most polarizing superstar

A few weeks ago, Kenny Brooks told Clara Strack she was the "worst superstar" he had ever coached. It was a challenge designed to spark greatness. Now, after a really uneven performance in Nashville, it’s clear that Otega Oweh is quickly becoming Kentucky basketball's most polarizing superstar.

The consistency of a superstar

On paper, it’s hard to argue with Oweh’s impact. Over the last 21 games, he has scored 20+ points in 16 of them. Out of 70 career games in a Kentucky uniform, he has reached double figures 66 times. That is an incredible run of production for the Oklahoma transfer.

Oweh was voted the Preseason SEC Player of the Year, and for much of the season, he lived up to the billing. But fans will never let go of the moment he questioned his own effort, and rightly so. When your senior calls himself out for saying he isn't playing hard, it's a giant red flag. But as the stakes have heightened, he kept getting better and better, until Friday. Now, Big Blue Nation has found itself split on the "Otega Oweh" experience.

The polarizing split

As Oweh enters the final games of his college career, a narrative is emerging that he can be too "pouty" or inconsistent with his effort to be any team's alpha, let alone Kentucky who gets everyone's best shot. After the 71-63 loss to Florida, where Oweh struggled to find any rhythm, fans took to X to voice their frustrations.

Ouch, that one stings.

Fans have really taken to watching how Otega reacts, and they are not liking what they are seeing.

But the turnovers are simply too much.

Oweh finished just 5-of-18 from the floor and committed four of the team's 12 turnovers. Your best player simply can’t have that kind of "off night" in a win-or-go-home scenario. He isn’t a natural three-point threat, and when his midrange game goes cold, which it does too often, he relies on getting downhill. Florida knew it, and Otega took too many tough contested jumpers. It didn't help that the Gators ended up winning the rebounding battle by 21 and effectively stifling any hope of transition runs.

The technical blowup

Worse yet, Oweh picked up a needless technical foul that allowed Todd Golden to explode in a display of "smarminess" that has made him the most annoying winner in the sport. It was a moment that showcased the frustration: a superstar losing his cool while the opponent pulled away.

But of course there is a great portion of fans who love Otega.

Now, it is literally win-or-go-home for Oweh. There is no "next year" for the senior. If Kentucky is going to make a magical March run, they need the Preseason Player of the Year version of Otega, not the one who struggles to hit 25% of his shots.

The talent is there, the stats are there, but the legacy will be decided by how he responds. Clara Strack responded with some of the best basketball of her career, will Otega Oweh?