Otega Oweh will go up against a few of his former teammates on Wednesday

Otega Oweh knows Oklahoma better than any of his Kentucky teammates.

After spending the last two seasons with the Sooners, Oweh is familiar with head coach Porter Moser‘s playstyle and even a handful of the players on this season’s team. The likes of Jaxson Robinson (BYU) and Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State) went up against Oklahoma prior to transferring to Kentucky, but they don’t know what it’s like to be inside the program on a day-to-day basis.

Will Oweh’s insider knowledge give the Wildcats an edge when they face Oklahoma in Norman on Wednesday night? Possibly, although not one we should view as significant. There are a couple of Sooners who were in the rotation with Oweh last season, but for the most part, Oklahoma’s roster is made up of transfers and freshmen.

“A couple of the guys have already played Oklahoma too, so they know what it’s about,” Oweh told reporters Tuesday. “It’s a brand-new team too. I just know Coach Moser, he’s obviously a big Xs and Os guy, so he’s gonna make sure he does his research and all that stuff. We just have to be ready to fight like every other game.”

Oklahoma rosters six of Oweh’s former teammates: Jalon Moore, Sam Godwin, Luke Northweather, Yaya Keita, Reid Lovelace, and Jake Moser. But only Moore, Godwin, and Northweather play meaningful minutes. Moore, in particular, is the one to keep an eye on. He’s Oklahoma’s leading scorer at 17 points per outing.

Moore, a 6-foot-6 senior wing, also happens to be close with Oweh. The two even talked last week ahead of Wednesday’s matchup. No trash talk though — “it’s all love”, Oweh said. They’ll leave that to the hardwood once tipoff comes around.

“(Moore is) tough. Athletic,” Oweh said. “His overall game has gotten better. That’s my guy so I’m glad he’s doing well and stepping into that role.”

But Oweh likely won’t match up against Moore or any of his former teammates when the two sides clash. Some of that depends on the status of Lamont Butler‘s injured shoulder, but if he’s unable to go, Oweh will have his hands full on defense. 6-foot-4 star freshman guard Jeremiah Fears is a projected future lottery pick and has looked every bit of the part for the Sooners despite a rough team record in conference play. We could be in for a great one-on-one battle between those two on both ends of the floor.

“He uses his body a lot,” Oweh said of Fears, who averages 15.9 points, four assists, and four rebounds per game. “He likes to get angles and keep you at that position, where you can’t get back in front. He’s a good guard.”

Moore and Fears have been keeping a struggling Oklahoma squad afloat during SEC play. A 13-0 start to the season has crashed into the current 17-10 record (4-10 SEC). Moser is on the hot seat in year four. But in this new-age SEC, especially on the road, nothing is given.

“They’re all solid,” Oweh added. “Like I said, it’s a completely new team, so I’m only familiar with two people that were there last year. But overall, I know they’re a solid team. Everyone in the SEC is good. Regardless of what the record looks like.”

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