The Kentucky Wildcats took down the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday night, 94-78. Kentucky was led by Otega Oweh’s 24 points and Brandon Garrison’s first career double-double as a Wildcat. The win boosts its record to 16-7 overall and 7-3 in the SEC, putting it alone in third place.
This season has been full of ups and downs for Garrison. On this night, though, he played a huge role in the win, racking up 20 points and 11 rebounds while bringing the fight to the Sooners. A native of Oklahoma, there’s no love lost between the two teams, and the past two seasons have seen this matchup get pretty chippy.
Garrison delivered the first double-double of his Kentucky career, and arguably one of his best performances yet. Down the stretch, it’s clear the Wildcats need Garrison to get back to last season’s form and bring a strong presence in the paint. With Quaintance out, Garrison will give Malachi Moreno some much-needed help in the middle.
Heck of a night for Garrison.
Last season, Oweh averaged 27.5 points against his former team. Tonight, he once again proved why he’s the “Sooner problem,” putting up 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. He added 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. This was the eighth time in 10 SEC games that Otega Oweh scored 20 or more points, reinforcing his status as a preseason SEC Player of the Year candidate.
The Wildcats look like a completely different team when Oweh is locked in the way he has been during SEC play. Right now, he’s a big reason why they’re fighting for a shot at the SEC title late in the season after starting conference play 0-2.
Early in the season, Collin Chandler struggled with erratic play, making poor passes and mistakes. Now, he’s showing much more consistency—finding open teammates, knocking down clutch shots, and making the extra pass to boost the team’s success. The Chandler that Kentucky saw toward the end of last season seems to be reemerging, giving the team a lift. It’s a big momentum booster.
For a stretch in the second half, the Wildcats played without Denzel Aberdeen, who left the game with a facial injury. During that time, Chandler, Oweh, and Jasper Johnson stepped up to fill the gap, which is exactly what’s needed when teammates go down. Aberdeen eventually returned, but it’s been fun to watch the different roles players have taken on over the past few weeks.
In this grind-it-out battle, the Wildcats are fighting with everything they’ve got. After a sluggish start to the season, Kentucky has hit its stride and is now firmly in the mix for an SEC race that seemed out of reach just two weeks ago. They’ll aim to push their record to 8-3 and stay on track for a coveted SEC bye and favorable seeding.
Just two months ago, the Wildcats were on the bubble, things were spiraling, fans had lost all hope, and the media was having a field day. Now, out of nowhere, you can’t say this team isn’t giving it their all—Kentucky is battling hard and grinding through a tough league.
Bring the heat to Rupp on Saturday night.
The Wildcats are set to take on the Tennessee Volunteers at home. Following, Kentucky hits the road to face the Florida Gators, returns to host the Georgia Bulldogs, and then travels to play the Auburn Tigers. The real story will be how they handle this tough four-game stretch.
Big Blue Nation is buzzing with excitement, and for the first time all season, hope is in the air.
For more coverage on Kentucky, Click here. Kentucky Returns Home Energized By Big Win at #21 Arkansas
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