Adorable Otega Oweh fans want more Otega Oweh returning to Kentucky takes

Two days later, and you bet we’re still talking about Otega Oweh‘s decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Kentucky for his senior season.

This morning, Club Blue Kids, a branch of Kentucky’s collective, posted quite possibly the most adorable video ever, a montage of young fans celebrating Oweh’s news. My personal favorite is the kid who hits a turnaround jumper after calmly welcoming Oweh back. He’s a baller.

We’re so glad you’re back, @OtegaOweh 🫶 pic.twitter.com/nhMmUsLKfH

— CLUB BLUE (@ClubBlueNIL) May 30, 2025

Since the news broke on Wednesday afternoon, more college basketball writers and personalities weighed in. Andy Katz moved Kentucky into his top ten (No. 10), just behind Tennessee (No. 9), while On3’s Jamie Shaw has the Cats at No. 8. The Athletic’s panel of Brendan Marks, C.J. Moore, and Lindsay Schnell arne’t quite as high on Kentucky, writing simply that Oweh’s return solidifies the Cats’ stance as a top-20 team. Apparently, NBA scouts told him to work on his three-point shot.

Can the Wildcats contend for the SEC title against the likes of Florida, Auburn and Alabama? That might be tough, but it certainly got easier with the news that Oweh, the leading scorer for the Wildcats last year, will return for his senior season. The 6-4 guard, a second-team All-SEC selection, led the team in points (16.2 per game) and steals (1.6), but there are concerns about his 3-point shooting at the next level, hence his decision to leave the draft.

Oweh came to Kentucky by way of Oklahoma, and his best season from beyond the arc was with the Sooners, when he shot 37.7 percent from deep as a sophomore. As a junior in Lexington last season, he connected on 35.5 percent of his attempts, but only 33.3 percent in conference play. Still, putting Oweh with the likes of Jaland Lowe (transfer from Pitt) and Kam Williams (transfer from Tulane), plus freshman Jasper Johnson and fellow returnee Brandon Garrison, makes for a solid starting five … and maybe even one that can surprise people in the SEC during Mark Pope’s second season.

The Athletic

Over at CBS Sports, Kyle Boone doled out some NBA Draft withdrawal deadline superlatives, opining that Kentucky is the team people aren’t hyping up enough, in large part because of Oweh.

Otega Oweh’s announcement of returning to college was a splashy win. But I’m not sure it was appreciated enough, given the other noisy decisions that came near the deadline. Oweh led Kentucky in points, minutes and steals and was generating second-round interest. 

He’s a very good player bubbling as a potential All-American candidate! 

And it’s like none of you care! 

UK has a ton of good pieces on the way, and Oweh is set as a foundational element for what coach Mark Pope builds into his second year at the helm.

Kyle Boone, CBS Sports

On3’s Updated Way-Too-Early College Basketball Top 25

As mentioned, our colleague Jamie Shaw updated his way-too-early Top 25 rankings this morning to account for draft decisions. Kentucky is No. 8, just behind Louisville (boo!) and ahead of Duke. Purdue, which comes to Lexington for an exhibition game on October 24, is No. 1. St. John’s, Kentucky’s foe in the CBS Sports Classic, is No. 4. Here is the rest of the top ten:

1. Purdue
2. Houston
3. UConn
4. St. John’s
5. BYU
6. Michigan
7. Louisville
8. Kentucky
9. Florida
10. Duke

Check out the rest of the top 25 over at our parent company On3.com.

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