Otega Oweh calls Mo Dioubate 'every team's dream player'

Kentucky's guards may have lead the team in scoring against LSU on Wednesday, but it was the play from the big men that helped set the tone late to pull away for a much-needed victory. Brandon Garrison was a huge reason for Kentucky's offensive run in the second half that helped them go on to notch the win, but Mo Dioubate did his damge on the defensive end.

Dioubate has been a season-long difference maker for Kentucky. continuing to come up with big defensive stops in rebounds and that's exactly the type of production his team got from him. It was Garrison who stole the show with one of his best performances at Kentucky, but Dioubate deserves hos flowers too. Even though he didn't have a huge impact in the stat sheet, his play still made a big difference in the game. Dioubate put up seven points on 3-6 shooting, along with seven rebounds, with six of those on the defensive end.

After the big 12-1 run where Kentucky stretched their lead to nine with 9:32 left in the game, the Wildcats were able to stretch it to twelve quickly after, and it was all thanks to their defense. All game, LSU continued making big shots to answer every made shot by Kentucky, but after that run, which was sparked by Garrison, Dioubate led the charge on the other end. He came up with a couple of big rebounds on that end from then on. Otega Oweh talked about his impact on the game and how valuable he has been to this team.

"Every time Mo is out there, I feel like he really sets the tone for us," Oweh said of Dioubate. "Every team needs a bruiser, somebody who's going to give it they're all. Mo has done that all year. He don't care about stats, how the game is going. He's going to go out there and make his impact on the game. I think that's every team's dream player."

Then, head coach Mark Pope chimed in to talk about just how impactful Dioubate is in his role off the bench for the Wildcats. "Mo is such a great teammate," Pope said. "He leads in ways off the court also. He cares about his teammates deeply. He thinks about his guys. He's growing as a leader. Clearly his impact on the court is great. It's been great for us this entire season. He just brings us a physicality. Guys know it. I have guys on the staff, team saying, 'we need to get Mo back in the game, get some physicality in the game.' He's a gift for us."

Moving forward, every contribution is crucial and given Kentucky's depth is not what it was early in the season, it's even more important now, especially since one game can end it for your team in the postseason.