Otega Oweh says it was 'personal' to represent Kentucky the right way vs Arkansas

Otega Oweh took it personally that his team did not represent Kentucky the right way against Vanderbilt.

Jan 31, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) and Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) exchange words during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Kentucky won 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

This Kentucky basketball team has gotten blasted by their own fans multiple times for their lack of pride and effort, most notably against Gonzaga, which they responded from. But on Tuesday, they struggled to show fight once again as they were blown out by Vanderbilt in a game that saw little fight to climb back into the game after another slow start.

Then came Saturday, where the Wildcats found themselves with their backs against the wall again, fans wondering how their team would respond this time. Well, they came out strong on the road against Arkansas, which has been rare to see this season and overall struggle this Kentucky team has. They striaght-up out-played and out-worked John Caliparit's Arkansas squad all game. The Wildcats crashed the glass early and often, as well as using their physicality to get to the line in a game the rewarded being physical.

After the game, Kentucky guard Otega Oweh spoke with ESPN about his team's performance. Oweh knew his team needed to respond well. He admitted that they did not do a good job representing the name across their chest. Oweh and the Wildcats took the game personal.

"It was definitely personal. But more of the fact that the last time we played, we didn’t really do a good job of representing Kentucky. We had to sit with that for a couple of days. We were just eager to get back out there and it just so happened that we were playing Arkansas and the former coach at Kentucky. But it was definitely personal for us just to come out here and clean it up and set a tone.”

Kentucky set the tone alright. They out-rebounded Arkansas early and ended the game with a plus-nine advantage on the glass, including going 19-30 from the line in the game, 16-25 in the final half. As for Arkansas, they shot 16-26 there and just 10-17 in the second half. Being aggressive and physical was the biggest part of this game and Kentucky was successful at it. As for Oweh, he went for a season-high 24 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He was a major factor in helping set the tone for the Wildcats.

With all of the criticism this team has received throughout this season from fans questioning their lack of pride, Oweh acknowledging the performance against Vandy after responding against Arkansas is a huge sequence that the team can use to learn from.