Key matchup: Kentucky guards Otega Oweh, Denzel Aberdeen trying to get on track against Gonzaga
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In theory, Kentucky’s revamped roster was supposed to give its opponents plenty to think about – and about a dozen different players to worry about – as they prepared for matchups with the Wildcats in 2025-26.
That was the idea behind building a roster with a reported $22 million price tag, featuring a projected NBA lottery pick (Jayden Quaintance), the SEC Preseason Player of the Year (Otega Oweh), a key rotation player from last year’s national champion Florida team (Denzel Aberdeen) and two prized Power Four transfers (Jaland Lowe and Mouhamed Dioubate) who commanded seven-figure NIL deals.
A plan that looked airtight in June and July is already starting to crumble in November and December, as the Wildcats deal with injuries and inconsistent play from starters and key bench pieces.
Both factors have made picking this week’s key matchup more challenging than we figured it would’ve been a handful of months ago.
Choosing two players may seem like a cop-out, but there hasn’t been much separation between Aberdeen (13.5 points per game) and Oweh (13.4) up to this point, and we know for certain both will be available for the Wildcats when Friday’s game tips off – something that we can’t say about the likes of Quaintance, Lowe and Dioubate.
Many expected Oweh to guide the ship for Kentucky after passing on the NBA draft to return to college. The senior guard appeared on multiple preseason All-American lists and was named SEC Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 16.2 ppg and 4.7 rpg while shooting 49.2% from the field and 35.5% from the 3-point line. Many thought the SEC POY award would shape up as a two-man race between Oweh and Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr., who poured in 29 points in a 95-85 loss to Gonzaga on Nov. 24 at the Players Era Festival.
Through eight games, Oweh’s season – and Kentucky’s, for that matter – have been choppier than anticipated. The guard is below his scoring average from last year and struggling to hit the efficiency marks he did last season, making just 47% from the field and 30% from deep. Oweh scored at least 20 points in 13 games last season, but he’s yet to eclipse 16 this season.
Aberdeen was a top bench option for Florida and former San Francisco coach Todd Golden last season, averaging 7.7 ppg on solid shooting clips – 41.8% from the field, 35% from the 3-point line – for the national champion Gators.
The 6-foot-5 guard made an intraconference move to Kentucky and has shown glimmers under Pope, scoring 26 points in a 96-88 loss to Louisville. Aberdeen’s last two games against ranked competition weren’t as memorable, however, as the guard scored 20 total points on 5 of 21 from the field and 1 of 8 from the 3-point line in losses to Michigan State and North Carolina.
Kentucky players and coaches acknowledged the ball was sticking too often in Tuesday’s 67-64 loss to North Carolina. If Lowe, UK’s best option at point guard, isn’t available on Friday, Oweh and Aberdeen will have to lead ball movement efforts against Gonzaga and try to improve on the eight assists Pope’s team recorded earlier in the week.
The Zags have multiple options to handle Oweh and Aberdeen. Tyon Grant-Foster will be expected to take on one of those two with either Adam Miller or Mario Saint-Supery likely assigned to the other. Defensive-minded wings like Emmanuel Innocenti and Jalen Warley give Mark Few’s team two great candidates off the bench and senior Steele Venters has been better than advertised on that end of the floor. The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter gives Gonzaga another long frame to counter Kentucky’s size on the perimeter.