Porter Moser addresses chippy gameplay vs. Kentucky: 'Just two teams going at it'

Kentucky star Otega Oweh returned to Oklahoma for an emotional matchup against his former team on Wednesday night.

Oweh, who played two seasons at Oklahoma, was the driving force behind UK’s 83-82 win. He scored 28 points, including the game-winning shot with six seconds left in regulation which capped off a 23-point performance in the second half.

The tight finish, as well as the circumstances surrounding the game, would cause the matchup to be a bit more hostile than it would have been otherwise. Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser addressed the tense atmosphere after the game, which eventually led to the separation of both teams in the postgame handshake line.

“It’s two teams going at it,” Moser said. “Two competitive teams who are going at it. I thought it was a high-level game. You had two teams in February that wanted to win. They were both playing hard, so that’s part of it.”

While the two teams kept it largely professional on the court, there appeared to be a certain edge to the matchup. This was a must-win game for both programs, so it came as no surprise that this tension boiled over after the game.

In the handshake line, Oweh appeared to say something toward freshman guard Jeremiah Fears as the teams approached each other. Jalon Moore, Oweh’s teammate last year, was seen shouting toward the UK team in the seconds after the encounter. Both were ushered to the locker room by OU support staff as Oweh retook the court for postgame media.

“At the end of the day, you kind of have to take that emotion out of it and try and get the win,” Oweh said moments after the incident. “So that’s what I was really focusing on.”

Fears and Moore combined for 38 points during the contest. They were responsible for 14 of the Sooners’ 30 made field goals during the loss to Kentucky.

The victory improves the Wildcats to 19-9 overall on the season, while the Sooners drop to 17-11 overall. Before the game, OU was in Joe Lunardi’s projected ‘Last Four Byes’ in the NCAA Tournament. It remains to be seen if they drop further, if at all after the matchup.

Kentucky will move into March set to face No. 1 Auburn at home on Saturday afternoon, while OU heads to Oxford to take on an Ole Miss team that has lost its last three games.