Otega Oweh, facing his former team, Oklahoma, delivered a clutch performance for Kentucky, mirroring his dominant display in their regular-season meeting. In a nail-biting second-round matchup at the 2025 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville, Oweh’s game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds remaining sealed an 85-84 victory for the Wildcats.
Trailing 84-83, Oweh received the inbounds pass, drove along the right baseline, and calmly sank a left-handed shot, sending Bridgestone Arena into a frenzy. His 27 points led all scorers, just shy of his previous outing against the Sooners. Koby Brea contributed 22 points, Andrew Carr added 11, and the Wildcats overcame an injury to point guard Lamont Butler.
Kentucky started strong, racing to an 8-0 lead with early baskets from Brea, Oweh, and Carr, forcing an early Oklahoma timeout. Though the Sooners battled back, Kentucky maintained a slim lead throughout the first half, fueled by Brea’s 12 points and Oweh’s 11. A late dunk by Amari Williams gave Kentucky a 40-38 halftime advantage.
The second half was a seesaw affair. Kentucky briefly extended their lead to 54-48, spurred by a 6-0 run featuring Ansley Almonor and Oweh. However, Oklahoma refused to yield, chipping away at the deficit. Kentucky’s offense, highlighted by a series of three-pointers from Oweh and Brea, and a dunk from Brandon Garrison, pushed their lead to 77-65 with just over four minutes remaining.
But Oklahoma mounted a furious comeback, culminating in a 14-3 run that put them ahead 84-83 with six seconds on the clock. That set the stage for Oweh’s dramatic game-winning layup.
With the victory, Kentucky advances to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, where they will face Alabama for the third time this season. The highly anticipated matchup is set for Friday night at 9:30 p.m. ET, with pregame coverage at 8:00 on WKYM