Otega Oweh buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from Santa Clara upset in March Madness

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Otega Oweh buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from Santa Clara upset in March Madness

Otega Oweh buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from Santa Clara upset in March Madness

Zach Osterman, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Fri, Mar 20, 2026 ·

3 min read

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ST. LOUIS — The standout game of the morning session needed five more minutes to finish Friday, as No. 7 Kentucky fended off No. 10 Santa Clara, 89-84, in an overtime classic extended into the extra period by Otega Oweh's buzzer-beating 3-pointer .

A game that delivered perhaps the moment of the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament set a high bar for excitement here in St. Louis.

Otega Oweh saved UK's season Friday: He might have done more than that

Here are three reasons why:

Broncos navigate rocky first half

Santa Clara (26-9) battled early against Kentucky's length and reach, particularly at the offensive end. Herb Sendek 's team struggled to manufacture quality offensive possessions, at times flirting with fading away from their first-round matchup here in the Gateway City.

But one of the country's best rebounding teams locked in defensively, cleaned the glass with the same intention as its SEC counterpart and weathered that storm.

By halftime, no one was shooting the ball particularly well, but Santa Clara had managed to drag the Wildcats into a defensive struggle.

Despite foul trouble that limited dynamic freshman Allen Graves, the Broncos nursed a hard-earned halftime lead, 31-29, into the locker room, in front of an outnumbered but enthusiastic band of Santa Clara fans making the trip east.

North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Brendan Coyle #21 of the Siena Saints reacts after the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Siena Saints 71-65.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)

Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars shakes hands with members of the Idaho Vandals following the first round game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)

McNeese Cowboys guard Tyshawn Archie (8) walks off the court after losing to the Vanderbilt Commodores during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Centeron March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.

(William Purnell, Imagn Images)

Riley Saunders #13 and Andy Stefonowicz #5 of the North Dakota State Bison high five after being defeated by the Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York.
(Ishika Samant, Getty Images)

Wisconsin Badgers guard Braeden Carrington (0) and guard John Blackwell (25) react during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.

(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

Thomas Dowd of the Troy Trojans reacts after coming out of the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) and Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brandon Noel (14) react after losing to Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Texas Christian University Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) reacts after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Lehigh Mountain Hawks huddle together after being defeated by the Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images)

SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) and SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) leave the court after being defeated by the Miami (OH) RedHawks during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

Trevon Blassingame #1 and Seth Joba #21 of the Idaho Vandals react after the defeat against the Houston Cougars in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)

Sash Gavalyugov arrives

With Graves quieted by fouls, and Kentucky doing the same defensively to Christian Hammond, Santa Clara's leading scorer, the Broncos turned to Sash Gavalyugov. The Villanova transfer from Bulgaria answered that need time and again.

In the flow of the offense or against isolated defenders, Gavalyugov poured in 16 crucial points, hitting important shots either side of the deficit.

When Otega Oweh (35 points, 28 after halftime) came alive after the break and injected life into Kentucky's offense, it was often Gavalyugov answering that momentum. And when the Wildcats (22-13) left gaps in transition or in the halfcourt, Gavalyugov took advantage.

Together with leading scorer Elijah Mahi (20 points, five rebounds), the former Villanova Wildcat kept swinging back every time Kentucky looked like pulling away. As the second half wore on, survival began turning into threat. Santa Clara transformed from the chaser to the chased, leading by four at the under-8 timeout.

Otega Oweh's excellence saves the day

No player quite defined the second half like Kentucky's leading scorer.

Good in the first half, Otega Oweh was borderline unplayable in the second. He scored those aforementioned points every way imaginable, adding eight rebounds and seven assists as he pulled Santa Clara's defense back and forth on a string. Corner 3s, finishing through contact, transition dimes — Oweh's fingerprints were all over the game by the time it reached full boil inside the final two minutes.

He hit no more important shot the last one of regulation. With just more than two seconds left and no timeouts to set up anything more structured, Oweh let fly a running 3-pointer just moments after Allen Graves' own 3 had given Santa Clara the lead.

Oweh's answer banked in off the glass, drawing a roar from the Enterprise Center and sending the game of the afternoon session into overtime.

There, the Wildcats eventually pulled ahead for good following a pair of crucial blocks. Twice, Gavalyugov tried to answer with stepback 3s, and twice, Brandon Garrison blocked him, opening a door to the second round the Wildcats gladly walked through.

Fittingly, they sealed their win thanks to Oweh's free throws — no player so defined the game as the senior from New Jersey.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Otega Oweh buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from Santa Clara upset

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F1 São Paulo GP 2026 – Practice 3

Otega Oweh buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from Santa Clara upset in March Madness

Broncos navigate rocky first half

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Sash Gavalyugov arrives

Otega Oweh's excellence saves the day