In the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, Kentucky rallied to beat Santa Clara 89-84 in overtime on March 20 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.[1]

With nine seconds left in regulation and Kentucky trailing 70-70, guard Otega Oweh tied the score with a layup. Santa Clara's Allen Graves responded with a 3-pointer two seconds later for a 73-70 lead. Kentucky, out of timeouts, inbounded to Oweh, who banked in a 32-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.[1]

Oweh led Kentucky with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Teammates Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points, Mouhamed Dioubate 17 points and Brandon Garrison 10 points.[1] Elijah Mahi scored 20 points for Santa Clara.

Oweh, a transfer guard from Oklahoma now in his first season at Kentucky, said on the CBS broadcast he aimed to get close to the basket on the final possession.[1] He called it the best game of his career after the win.

Otega Oweh is the younger brother of Baltimore Ravens defensive end Odafe Oweh.[2][3]

The Enterprise Center, home of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, has hosted NCAA tournament games in recent years.[4]

Kentucky will face the winner of No. 2 Iowa State and No. 15 Tennessee State in the second round.[1]

Sources

1. Fox News Digital, "Kentucky snagged victory from the jaws of defeat in its 89-84 overtime win against Santa Clara", March 21, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/kentucky-santa-clara-ncaa-tournament-owheh-buzzer-beater
2. University of Kentucky Athletics, "Otega Oweh - 2024-25 - Men's Basketball", accessed October 2024, https://ukathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/otega-oweh/13794
3. Wikipedia, "Odafe Oweh", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odafe_Oweh
4. Enterprise Center, "About", accessed October 2024, https://www.enterprisecenter.com/about