Kentucky’s Otega Oweh averaged 21-plus points in SEC play, but ESPN only saw fit to rank him No. 38 among the top players in the NCAA Tournament
Otega Oweh spent the early part of this season hearing about what he was not. Not healthy enough. Not consistent enough. Not living up to the hype that had followed him to Lexington. That narrative was wrong then, and it looks even worse now but somehow, the national media still hasn’t caught on.
As the NCAA Tournament tips off, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello released his ranking of the top 50 players in the Big Dance, and the Kentucky senior landed at No. 38. The placement is hard to justify. Oweh finished the regular season averaging 18.2 points per game overall and topped 21 during SEC play, when the competition was at its stiffest. That level of production belongs near the top of any credible list not buried more than halfway down it.
What the numbers actually say
There is no reasonable case for keeping Oweh outside the top 25. He was the Preseason SEC Player of the Year and earned Second Team All-SEC honors at the end of the regular season a selection that many considered a slight of its own. His ability to attack the basket in transition is nearly impossible to stop, and he has evolved into a genuine perimeter threat, averaging 3.6 three point attempts per game.
His defensive contributions get overlooked in the conversation, too. Oweh’s instincts in the passing lanes generate steals that turn directly into fast break buckets. When Kentucky’s offense stalls, he is the one who finds a way to manufacture a score. That kind of two-way impact rarely shows up fully in a stat line, but it is precisely why the Wildcats cannot function at their best without him on the floor.
The early stumble that shaped the narrative
A slow start planted doubt that refused to leave. Still working his way back from a foot injury that cost him the preseason, Oweh’s early struggles were easy to use as evidence that something was off. But anyone who watched Kentucky closely in the second half of the season saw a different player — locked in, dominant, and very difficult to stop when fully healthy. The national take, unfortunately, froze somewhere in November.
What’s at stake in St. Louis
Kentucky opens the tournament today against Santa Clara, and the Wildcats will only go as far as Oweh takes them. The Broncos bring size, shooting, and skill to the matchup, but they do not have an individual answer for what Oweh does when he attacks downhill. He has delivered in critical late game moments this season, and a similar stage is waiting.
A win over the Broncos would likely set up a second round meeting with Iowa State, a team with three players inside Borzello’s top 50. No. 1 on that Cyclones group is Joshua Jefferson at No. 8 overall. No. 2 is Milan Momcilovic at No. 19, who is averaging 17.1 points per game and hitting threes at a remarkable 49.6% clip. No. 3 is Tamin Lipsey, ranked No. 39 on the list. A potential matchup with the Cyclones would be the kind of high stakes test that could change the national conversation around Oweh entirely.
A legacy already worth celebrating
The No. 38 ranking is only the latest in a string of slights. Being left off the First Team All-SEC was a harder one to stomach. Joe Lunardi ranking Kentucky at No. 36 in the tournament field, well below the No. 25 position the Selection Committee gave the Wildcats is the most recent.
Through it all, Oweh needs just 12 more points to pass Bill Spivey for the most scored by a Kentucky player in their first two seasons with the program. That is the kind of milestone that outlasts any ranking.
Whatever March delivers, Otega Oweh has already earned more respect than he has been given.