Kentucky's Otega Oweh admitted that his effort is holding him back

Kentucky fans won't like this quote from their star player Otega Oweh.

Oct 24, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) celebrates during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats were embarrassed on Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden as the Michigan State Spartans dominated the Wildcats in this game. The Spartans won this game 83-66, handing Pope's team its second loss of the 2025-26 season.

After the game was over, Pope took a while but finally came to speak to the media and sounded quite defeated. He admitted that there is a lot for this team to improve on, and he will do everything he can to get his team to where it needs to be.

The media was also able to ask Otega Oweh some questions after the game, and he did not have his best showing. Oweh scored 12 points to lead the Wildcats, but it was on a very inefficient 4-12 shooting from the field.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) goes up for a dunk in front of Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Oweh was asked by the media about his early season struggles and what he attributes them to.

Here was Oweh's response: "We're all going to figure it out. With me, it's just a matter of me playing hard and having effort 100%. That's something that I have to go out there and do. Everything else will fall into place after that."

Big Blue Nation has not taken well to this quote on social media because it makes the early season struggles from Oweh seem effort based. Fans can understand that at times players just aren't going to have a good game, but when a player comes out and admits that his effort isn't there, this is going to rustle some feathers.

Oweh was a star for the Wildcats last season, and this is a big reason why he was picked to be the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. The version of Oweh fans have seen on the floor this season is not what they remember from a year ago.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) reacts after a basket during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Oweh is a fan favorite in Lexington, and he needs to start playing better ball, or the Wildcats are going to struggle all season long. Oweh needs to get back to his old self, where his one and only objective is to get the ball to the basket.

Kentucky still has a lot of ranked games left on the schedule for non-conference play, and Oweh needs to play with a ton of effort in these ball games. If Oweh does not start to play better ball for the Wildcats, there is a chance this season could get out of hand quickly.