Kentucky walked out of Rupp Arena with a 72–63 win over Ole Miss on Saturday, but the final score doesn’t come close to telling the full story of how tense — and chaotic — the closing minutes became.
What should have been a controlled finish nearly turned into a full-blown controversy, as a baffling late foul call put the outcome in real jeopardy and had Big Blue Nation collectively holding its breath.
The game itself was already disjointed and sluggish, bogged down by constant whistles and stoppages. By the final horn, the two teams had combined for 48 free throws, turning what should have been a flowing SEC matchup into a grind-it-out, stop-start battle that never found much rhythm.
Still, Kentucky had done enough to build a small cushion late. With 2:50 remaining, the Wildcats held a 62–58 lead and appeared to be in position to close the door. Then came the moment that nearly flipped everything.
Otega Oweh was defending Ole Miss big man Corey Chest in the post when Chest attempted to spin baseline. Instead of creating clean separation, Chest clearly locked Oweh’s arm in a hook-and-hold — a move that has been a major officiating emphasis in college basketball over the last several seasons.
Instead of the whistle going the other way, officials called an and-one foul on Oweh.
The reaction was immediate.
On the ESPN broadcast, replay footage showed Chest grabbing and holding Oweh’s arm as he tried to turn. The announcers were audibly stunned, openly questioning how the foul could be assessed on Kentucky instead of Ole Miss. Social media lit up almost instantly, with fans pointing out the textbook nature of the hook-and-hold and the league-wide emphasis on eliminating that exact move.
At that moment, the stakes were real. Kentucky’s lead was thin. Momentum was fragile. One swing possession could have completely changed the tone of the final stretch.
The call put Chest at the free-throw line for an and-one opportunity — a potential three-point swing in a four-point game. If Ole Miss capitalized, the Wildcats’ margin could’ve vanished in seconds.
Kentucky caught a break when Chest missed the front end of the free throw, limiting the damage to just two points. But the emotional swing had already happened. What had been a controlled endgame suddenly felt unstable.
That’s when Otega Oweh took over.
Rather than letting the moment spiral, the junior guard responded with poise and aggression. Oweh attacked downhill, created offense, and delivered bucket after bucket when Kentucky needed composure the most. He finished the second half with 20 points, carrying the Wildcats through the chaos and steadying the game when it could’ve unraveled.
Every big possession down the stretch seemed to flow through him — whether as a scorer, a pressure release, or a calming presence when Ole Miss tried to make one last push.
Instead of collapsing, Kentucky stabilized.
Instead of panic, they executed.
Instead of controversy defining the ending, the Wildcats imposed control.
By the final horn, the scoreboard read 72–63, marking Kentucky’s fifth straight SEC victory — but the path to that result was far more uncomfortable than the score suggests.
It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t clean. And it certainly wasn’t stress-free.
But in a game defined by whistles, stoppages, and a moment that nearly flipped everything, Kentucky did what good teams do: they survived the chaos, responded to adversity, and found a way to close.
Now, the Wildcats shift focus to the road, where they’ll face Vanderbilt on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, as Kentucky looks to keep its SEC momentum rolling — and leave the controversy behind.
