Tempers flared after a dramatic finish to No. 17 Kentucky’s 83-82 victory over Oklahoma on Wednesday night, leading to the cancellation of the traditional postgame handshake. Emotions were running high, especially after the final buzzer.
Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, who transferred from Oklahoma and scored 28 points in his return to Norman, appeared to direct comments toward freshman guard Jeremiah Fears as the teams lined up for the handshake. Oweh’s former teammate, Jalon Moore, was seen yelling at the UK team shortly after the incident. The teams were eventually separated, and Oweh proceeded to postgame media duties.
“It feels great,” Oweh shared about returning to Norman. “Not many basketball players get this opportunity, playing at this school before and having former teammates on the court. It was emotional. But in the end, you have to block that out and focus on getting the win—that was my main goal.”
Oweh scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half, including the game-winning layup, which he threw over his head amid contact. He also contributed to blocking Fears’ potential game-winning layup, although the block was officially credited to Brandon Garrison. His 23 second-half points were more than half of Kentucky’s total in the closing stretch.
“I wanted to play with more energy and intensity,” Oweh explained. “In the first half, I was more passive, letting the game come to me. But in the second half, I wanted to be more aggressive, leaving my mark on both offense and defense.”
Fears and Moore, involved in the postgame altercation, combined for 38 points in the game and were responsible for 14 of Oklahoma’s 30 field goals.
The win boosts Kentucky to 19-9 for the season, while Oklahoma drops to 17-11. Kentucky will face No. 1 Auburn at home on Saturday, while Oklahoma heads to Oxford to take on Ole Miss, who has lost their last three games.
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