Key matchup: Otega Oweh leads the way for Kentucky’s productive offense

SEATTLE – Kentucky and Gonzaga boast two of the best offenses in the nation, even if they go about it in different ways.

Both rely on balance, but Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound transfer from Oklahoma, is probably tops on Gonzaga’s scouting report for Saturday’s Battle in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena.

Oweh has scored in double figures in all eight games and leads the team at 16 points per game. The junior is similar in stature and style to West Virginia’s Javon Small, the Oklahoma State transfer who stung GU for 31 points in the Mountaineers’ 86-78 upset win at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Oweh is slightly bigger and doesn’t shoot as many 3-pointers as Small, but he is a versatile scorer who uses his size and strength to operate in the midrange and in the paint.

Oweh is shooting 61% on shots inside the arc and has made a team-high 29 free throws on 78.4% accuracy. He’s hit just three of his last 13 3-point-attempts, but still checks in at 37.5% for the season. He also has 12 steals to share the team lead with senior point guard Lamont Butler.

Oweh has made a big jump from averaging 11.4 points and shooting 49.3% from the field as a sophomore at Oklahoma last season. If a play breaks down, Oweh can make a play on his own.

If both teams stay with their usual starting fives, Oweh will likely have a size advantage on his GU defender. That’s likely to be senior Nolan Hickman (6-2, 190), who tends to draw the starting assignment on the opposing team’s best perimeter player.

The matchups elsewhere should be interesting to watch, too, including two high-level point guards in Ryan Nembhard and Butler and wings Khalif Battle and 6-6 Jaxson Robinson. GU could use a bigger defender – Battle. Dusty Stromer or Emmanuel Innocenti – on Oweh.

Inside, GU’s Graham Ike will probably face 7-foot Amari Williams with Michael Ajayi guarding 6-11 Andrew Carr. Ben Gregg (6-10) will likely see extended minutes against Kentucky’s frontcourt.

Oweh’s season high is 21 points against Wright State and Jackson State. He had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists in a win over Duke last month. He finished with 17 points and seven boards but made just 5 of 13 shots in Tuesday’s loss to Clemson.