Kentucky was only able to beat Santa Clara during the First Round of March Madness because a nearby referee did not pay attention to Herb Sendek on the final play of regulation. The head coach of the Broncos tried to call a timeout just milliseconds before Otega Oweh beat the buzzer to force overtime.
It would’ve changed the entire dynamic of the last possession.
There are always a lot of “what ifs” in college basketball but this specific sequence will haunt the Broncos forever. They were one timeout away from the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Maybe.
Kentucky basketball star Otega Oweh hit an epic buzzer-beater to force overtime.
If you are reading this article, you already know what happened. I screamed.
Santa Clara took a three-point lead over Kentucky at halftime. Both teams traded buckets during the second half. Oweh made a layup to tie the game at 70 with less than 10 seconds remaining.
That gave possession back to the Broncos with a chance to pull the 10/7 upset with the last shot of the fourth quarter. Star freshman Allen Graves decided to pull up from 24 feet instead of working the ball inside. It went in! The crowd went wild as if the game was over…
…but the Wildcats still had a chance to beat the buzzer… and Oweh did exactly that!
The fourth-year senior drained a 32-footer as time expired to force overtime. The shot left his hand with 0.2 seconds still on the clock.
NO. WAY. 😱
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME!!! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/3n8rDxkY3h
Santa Clara ultimately could not hang on. Otega Oweh, who also finished with a game-high 35 points, swatted multiple shots during the extra period to give Kentucky a five-point win.
Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek tried to call a timeout.
I am not here to discredit the most exciting moment of the NCAA Tournament thus far. I am here to point out the facts.
The Broncos had three timeouts at their disposal on the final possession of regulation.
They chose not to call one on offense. Graves knocked down his deep triple to take the lead.
The Wildcats immediately ran the other way to try to get out in front of the defense and did so with relative ease. Oweh blew right past the on-ball defender.
He got a pretty good look at the game-tying three-pointer.
Santa Clara went to overtime with three timeouts still on the board but it could’ve (and maybe should’ve) been two. Head coach Herb Sendek tried to call a timeout before Kentucky passed the ball inbounds.
“I unequivocally called timeout but they didn’t grant it,” he said after the game. “I mean, I think the video evidence is clear.”
The official was running away from Sendek and never saw him.
A timeout would’ve allowed the Broncos to set up their defense before the Wildcats tried to go the length of the court to tie the game but Sendek could not get the attention of the nearest official. He should’ve tried to get attention of the referee on the other side of the court and made a bigger spectacle.
Maybe Oweh still would’ve hit the shot of his life to tie the game even after the timeout. We won’t know.
Sendek could not get the attention of a referee. He chose not to foul. Oweh beat the buzzer. Kentucky defeated Santa Clara in overtime to avoid another March Madness upset.