ST. LOUIS (LEX 18) — For the first time in program history, Kentucky men's basketball entered the NCAA Tournament as a seven seed. Opposite the Wildcats in the big dance, a feisty Santa Clara squad out of the West Coast Conference.
With 2 seconds left in regulation, Otega Oweh sped down the court and stamped his name in the March record books with a deep three-pointer to send things into overtime against the Broncos.
The heroics from the Wildcats' senior leader helped push them toward a 89-84 victory in the round of 64. Oweh finished with a game-high 35 points, good for a new career mark.
NO. WAY. 😱
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME!!! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/3n8rDxkY3h
Out of the gate, Kentucky brought the energy. On the first possession of the game, the Wildcats grabbed three offensive rebounds to set up an opening score. After a pair of three-pointers, Kentucky had an early 8-2 advantage.
All-WCC selection Christian Hammond canned his first three-pointer of the day to give Santa Clara a 11-10 lead with 14:20 left in the first half.
Kentucky got an injection of life thanks to Brandon Garrison, whose acrobatic third bucket of the day gave the Wildcats a 16-13 lead.
Three for three from the field for @brandonGarriso 💯
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 20, 2026
📺 CBS
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Broncos' star freshman Allen Graves picked up his third foul with more than seven minutes left in the half. But even with him sidelined, Santa Clara was able to stay in the mix.
After Denzel Aberdeen was stripped, marking the Broncos' sixth steal of the first half, Santa Clara took a 31-29 lead into the break.
Oweh came out in the second half a man on a mission. The senior canned a corner three-pointer, part of a 6-0 run which gave the Wildcats a 38-37 lead.
Santa Clara stayed in the fight with a big time senior performance of its own. Elijah Mahi poured in 10 points in the opening half, and followed it up with a stellar second act. A long-range strike from beyond-the-arc narrowed the Broncos' deficit to one point.
Mahi finished the day with 20 points on 7-16 shooting. Following a pair of Graves free throws, Santa Clara retook the lead at 54-53 with 9:07 left in regulation.
The Broncos extended that lead to 59-55 at the under eight media timeout after a transition three-point make by Sash Gavalyugov.
Kam Williams entered the scoring column with a three-pointer following an Oweh missed free throw to give Kentucky a 63-62 lead. Santa Clara took it back right away, though, with a Graves paint touch.
Santa Clara broke a 68-68 tie thanks to an offensive rebound and score by Graves. Down two, the Wildcats took a timeout to draw something up on offense with 1:25 left in regulation.
With nine seconds on the clock, Oweh nailed a layup to go tie the game at 70. On the other end, Graves answered with a deep three-point bucket to go up with under three seconds remaining, before Oweh sent things to overtime with his heroics.
In the extra frame, the Wildcats pulled away to advance to the Round of 32, which will tipoff Sunday in Saint Louis. They await the winner of second seeded Iowa State and 15-seed Tennessee State, which tips off Friday at 2:50 p.m. ET.
This article will be updated with the result of that game.
For more on Kentucky men's basketball and all of the Wildcats, join us on BBN Tonight, airing weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.
