Otega Oweh was not only Kentucky basketball’s most consistent player last season. He was Kentucky’s best player on a team that got to the program’s first Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.
When it comes to opinions of national college basketball analysts, perhaps no one has more value to their opinions than Dick Vitale.
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Recently, Vitale unveiled his All-Rolls-Royce Teams for the upcoming season, a fantastic name, which included Oweh on the Second-Team.
“Big Blue Nation loves this guy,” he said of Oweh. “He’s strong, explosive and clutch. He hit not one, but TWO game-winners last year. He’s the Wildcats’ Rolls Royce slasher. I don’t hand out Rolls Royce honors to just any player, unless he’s the kind to make you stand up and say, ‘Are you serious, baby?!’”
Here is the complete list of luxury talents in college basketball this season, according to Vitale.
First Team
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PJ Haggerty, Kansas State Wildcats
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Braden Smith, Purdue Boilermakers
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JT Toppin, Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Graham Ike, Gonzaga Bulldogs
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Bennett Stirtz, Iowa Hawkeyes
Second Team
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Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue Boilermakers
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Donovan Dent, UCLA Bruins
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Nick Martinelli, Northwestern Wildcats
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Emanuel Sharp, Houston Cougars
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Otega Oweh, Kentucky Wildcats
Oweh is a natural scorer, but Wildcats head coach Mark Pope has high expectations for him on the defensive end going into the season. Those expectations go so far as Oweh potentially being the best defensive player in the country.
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“He’s going to grow — he’s going to grow exponentially again, and he’s going to help us win a ton of games,” Pope said. “He’s going to play great basketball, and he’s going to put himself in an even better position to be a pro.”
With Oweh, Kentucky is a national championship contender going into 2025-2026.
