Mark Pope and his Kentucky Wildcats might be having a season to forget, but some of his players are still shining through the darkness. Such was the case watching Otega Oweh carrying his team across the finishing line at the Lloyd Noble Center, a place he once called home before transferring to Kentucky. Is this the much needed spark Kentucky needed to turn their season around? and does this storyline remind you of a certain Slovenian guard who recently dropped a triple double against his old team after getting traded?

Throughout the season, Kentucky has struggled with consistency, largely due to the injuries they’ve been dealing with. But a performance like Otega Oweh’s might just be the spark they need! He dropped 28 points against his former team, Oklahoma, with 23 of those coming in the second half. He didn’t just hit the game-winning shot, he also came up with the game-winning block! That’s as clutch as it gets. This could give Kentucky a foundation to build on and help them turn their season around.

Former Florida Atlantic Owls coach Matt McCall had some pretty interesting things to say about Oweh when he appeared in The Field Of 68: After Dark podcast. When asked about if Oweh had a point to prove coming back to Oklahoma especially with the home crowd showering him with boos every time he touched the ball, McCall said, ” 100% to go out there and play that inspired, on that floor, absolutely he had a point to prove. It was like Luka Doncic last night versus the Mavericks when he’s screaming at the Mavericks bench”

The whole storyline about a former player coming back to sush the home fans does sound similar to that of Luka Doncic, doesn’t  it? But unlike Luka, Oweh left Oklahoma to play for Mark Pope. He wanted to experience March Madness. You can do that in Kentucky every year, but at Oklahoma? next to impossible!

Even though Otega Oweh had an amazing game, it’s hard to picture Kentucky making a deep run in the Big Dance this year. Their close win over Oklahoma only confirms that feeling. Their flaws outweigh their strengths right now, and if Mark Pope doesn’t work on fixing them, it’s hard to imagine the Wildcats make a deep post-season run!

Are Mark Pope and co ready for a deep run in March?

There’s a lot to like about Kentucky,  they have the third best offense in the country scoring 85.6 points per game this season while shooting 48.4% from the field. They have shown time and again that, despite the injury problems they’ve faced throughout the season, they can be a very dangerous side to play against. Any team without their second-best scorer (Jaxson Robinson) and their best playmaker (Lamon Butler) would struggle every game, but the Wildcats showed grit and determination to come away with a win against Tennessee.

That said, they have one of the worst defenses in the country, allowing their opponents to score roughly 77 points per game this season. To add to this, their 9-8 record against Quad 1 teams isn’t something to be proud of if you’re a Kentucky fan. Their upcoming stretch of games, which includes matchups against No. 1 Auburn and No. 15 Missouri, won’t exactly give Mark Pope much confidence going forward either.

But their Quad 1 record shows that, on their good days, the Wildcats can compete with any top team, which is likely why they’re still ranked 17th in the country despite a 19-9 record. Playing in the most stacked conference in the country certainly plays a role in that. This is also why I believe it will be enough to help them make a case for Selection Sunday.

Mark Pope’s struggles with Kentucky can’t be overlooked, despite the heroics from Otega Oweh. But with a fully healthy squad at his disposal, it’s time for him to fix the defensive gaps if he wants to lead Wildcats toward a deep run in the Big Dance. Do you think Kentucky are built for a deep post season run this season? Do let us know