'I'm still in disbelief.' Otega Oweh's teammates react to his second game-winner vs. Oklahoma

Just as he did two weeks ago in Norman, Otega Oweh ripped the heart out of his old team. The former Sooner saved Kentucky once again, this time on an even larger stage in the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena, by knocking down the game-winning basket right before the buzzer in the Wildcats’ 85-84 win over Oklahoma.

“I wanted it bad,” Oweh said in the locker room postgame. “Coach drew up the play to get me downhill and make a play.”

Kentucky nearly blew the win before Oweh, who coughed up an untimely turnover with 20 seconds to go, saved the day once again. With the ‘Cats down one with six seconds left in regulation, Oweh took control, sprinted down the right side of the floor, and flipped up a left-handed shot from the baseline that fell in despite having no business of doing such. He was nearly behind the backboard by the time he floated his shot into the bottom of the net.

Oweh’s teammates still couldn’t believe what went down when talking with reporters in the locker room postgame. He ultimately finished his night with 27 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in 36 minutes. Here is what the rest of the Wildcats thought about Oweh’s second game-winner against the Sooners.

Brandon Garrison: “It was just crazy, seeing it go in with the left hand. I was just in shock. I had no words. The view was amazing. I was actually standing up at the back of the backboard. As soon as it went up, I saw it was in just because of the angle I was in. But I was just in shock. It’s crazy.”

Koby Brea: “Oh my God. Honestly I’m still in disbelief. It was crazy. Being able to have that point of view of the shot, and at this point I get to see it two times now. It’s just unbelievable, man. He keeps surprising us every single day.”

Andrew Carr: “I knew it was going in. The play was drawn up for him. He can get downhill whenever he wants and he’s a special player. That’s what he does. Had full confidence it was going in.”

Ansley Almonor: “I just saw him going downhill. Usually when he goes downhill, good things happen. I had a good feeling about it. He was under the basket a little bit and I kinda got a little worried when he threw that left hand up. Then it went in. A great feeling, a lot of emotions. It was like a little roller coaster you could say. I’m just happy he made that shot, happy we got the win.”

Amari Williams: “I was behind the backboard. I didn’t think it had no chance of going in, especially with his left hand too. Just seeing that and the difficulty of the shot, knowing that he made it, it was a surreal feeling.”

Collin Chandler: “Get the ball to Otega and get out of the way. That was the play call. He’s special, and that’s sometimes all you need, is just tell Otega go make a play.”

It felt like déjà vu all over again from the first meeting with Oklahoma (but with the extra drama of a late-game collapse mixed into the scenario). The final score was almost identical. Kentucky won round one 83-82 on Feb. 26 and round two Thursday night 85-84. With that memory of the first matchup still fresh, Almonor saw Oweh’s clutch shot coming before it even happened.

“I actually told Jaxson (Robinson), ‘Yo watch him do the same thing he did two weeks back.’” Almonor said. “I just had a feeling. He did almost the same exact things, second-half he’s going crazy. Last shot right there is crazy.”

One game-winner in a season is special, but two — against a former team, no less — is something fans will remember forever.

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