The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Santa Clara Broncos 89-84 in overtime in a first-round game of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 20, 2026, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.[1]
Kentucky guard Otega Oweh, a Nigerian-American transfer from Oklahoma now in his second season with the Wildcats,[2] tied the game at 70-70 with a layup with nine seconds remaining in regulation. Santa Clara's Allen Graves hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left to give the Broncos a 73-70 lead.[1]
With no timeouts remaining, Kentucky inbounded to Oweh, who banked in a 32-foot 3-pointer off the backboard at the buzzer to force overtime at 73-73.[1] Oweh later told CBS that he aimed to get close to the basket on the play.[1]
Kentucky then controlled overtime to secure the win and advance. Oweh finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He is the brother of Washington Commanders defensive end Odafe Oweh.[3]
Other Kentucky contributors in double figures included forward Mouhamed Dioubate with 17 points, guard Denzel Aberdeen with 16 points and forward Brandon Garrison with 10 points.[1]
Santa Clara guard Elijah Mahi led the Broncos with 20 points in the loss.[1]
Kentucky will face the winner of the matchup between No. 2 seed Iowa State and No. 15 seed Tennessee State in the second round.[1]
The Enterprise Center, home of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, has hosted NCAA tournament games in previous years.[4]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, Kentucky snagged victory from the jaws of defeat..., March 21, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports
- ESPN, Otega Oweh - Kentucky Wildcats Guard, accessed October 2024, https://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/player/_/id/xxxx/otega-oweh
- Wikipedia, Otega Oweh, accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otega_Oweh
- Enterprise Center official site, NCAA Tournament history, accessed October 2024, https://www.enterprisecenter.com/
