Mark Pope tells hilarious story on Kentucky star Otega Oweh after beating Louisville: "He is the epitome of present"
Mark Pope had Otega Oweh to thank after the No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats pulled off a 93-85 victory over the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena on Saturday night. Oweh scored nine of his 17 points in the final two minutes to lead the Wildcats to their 10th win of the season.
The Kentucky coach discussed his star player in the postgame press conference, sharing a humorous incident that happened to Oweh a few days ago.
Pope praised Oweh for always being present in the moment after his late-game heroics against the Cardinals. He then laughed as he recounted the story of what happened to the Kentucky guard earlier in the week. Pope hesitated initially but eventually relented after some cajoling from reporters.
"We had a really fun moment. Our guys have made a renewed commitment to being present in class every day. And Oteh has an early-morning class where he’s getting better and better at being present," Pope said.
"So, a couple of days ago, it was all hands on deck to make sure he was there. And then two minutes after class, we got a video from him. (He was) sitting in an empty classroom because the class was canceled, and we didn’t know about it. He is the epitome of present," Pope said.
Otega Oweh stepped up when Kentucky needed him the most in the game against Louisville, making clutch plays on both ends of the floor in the final two minutes to thwart the Cardinals’ rally.
Otega Oweh delivers down the stretch for Kentucky in win vs Louisville
Otega Oweh stole the ball from Louisville’s Noah Waterman and scored a breakaway dunk with 1:58 left to give Kentucky an 81-74 lead. He delivered again after both teams traded baskets, draining a 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 86-76.
Oweh added a layup and a pair of free throws in the final minute to seal the win for the Wildcats.
It wasn’t just Oweh who dazzled in the rivalry game. Lamont Butler torched the Cardinals, scoring a career-high 33 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting. He was sizzling from beyond the arc, making all six of his 3-point attempts.