The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Santa Clara Broncos 89-84 in overtime in a first-round game of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 20, 2026, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.[1][2]
Kentucky guard Otega Oweh, a Nigerian-born transfer from Oklahoma now in his first season with the Wildcats,[3] scored a layup with nine seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 70-70. Santa Clara guard Allen Graves answered with a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining for a 73-70 lead.[1][2]
With no timeouts left, Kentucky inbounded to Oweh, who sprinted the floor and banked in a 32-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime at 73-73.[1][2]
Oweh told CBS broadcasters after the game that he aimed to get as close to the basket as possible on the inbound before launching the shot. He later called it the best game of his career.[1]
In overtime, Kentucky secured the victory. Oweh finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points, Mouhamed Dioubate scored 17 and Brandon Garrison had 10.[1][2]
Santa Clara guard Elijah Mahi led his team with 20 points in the loss.[1][2]
Oweh is the younger brother of Odafe Oweh, a defensive end for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.[4]
The Enterprise Center, a 18,096-seat arena and home of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, hosted the game.[5]
Kentucky advances to the round of 32 to face the winner of No. 2 seed Iowa State against No. 15 seed Tennessee State.[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "Kentucky snagged victory from the jaws of defeat in its 89-84 overtime win against Santa Clara", March 20, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/kentucky-santa-clara-ncaa-tournament
- NCAA.com, "Kentucky vs. Santa Clara - Men's Basketball 2026 NCAA Tournament First Round Box Score", March 20, 2026, https://www.ncaa.com/game/basketball-men/d1/2026/03/20/no-xx-kentucky-vs-no-xx-santa-clara
- University of Kentucky Athletics, "Otega Oweh - Men's Basketball", accessed March 2026, https://ukathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/otega-oweh/25165
- Wikipedia, "Odafe Oweh", accessed March 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odafe_Oweh
- Wikipedia, "Enterprise Center (St. Louis)", accessed March 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Center
