The season started great for Kentucky; they knocked off preseason No. 1 Purdue, and everyone thought it would be a special year. Then, a bad loss to Georgetown rocked the foundation of the team.
Otega Oweh said he and his team needed to "lock in," and he claimed they would when the games counted. That is a dangerous attitude to have; once you have a team that doesn't lock in all the time, it is bound to happen again and again. Then came the Louisville loss, and Oweh himself talked about his motivation and how he needed to focus on playing "100" percent all the time.
Your senior leader admitted in an interview that he didn't give his best effort when on the court—that is a massive problem. The Cats started just 5-4. Injuries again played a role, withJaland Lowe hurting his shoulder (a nagging injury that will linger all season and has him day-to-day now) and Jayden Quaintance dealing with knee swelling that has sidelined him indefinitely.
Kentucky found its stride and won four straight before losing its two opening games in the SEC. And motivation again seemed to be a factor.
Otega Oweh has led a resurgence for Kentucky
In the three SEC games since, Oweh has scored 20 points or more in each of them. After the 34-point turnaround against Mississippi State, Oweh joined the SEC Network crew and spoke on what Kentucky means.
“Putting on this jersey is a privilege. What comes with it is a great tradition; a lot of greats have worn this jersey before us."
The quote rang even more true as Pat Riley and the legendary Rupp's Runts team were honored at halftime.
“It is Kentucky. Everyone loves to come into Rupp and win here, so we gotta stand our ground. It’s just a blessing to wear this jersey, and we gotta keep on winning games."
The jersey is the most important thing. When guys buy in and give their all, talent gets elevated. Good players become great, and memories become legends.
If Kentucky can find that within them in every game, not just sometimes, this will still be a special season.
If not, well, we have seen what that looks like. Kentucky must find the desire to make plays for each other; they need to find that special thing that last year's team figured out earlier. As Mark Pope said, if they still have a chance to be an elite offensive team, it is just going to take some work.