With two seconds remaining in the game, Santa Clara’s Allen Graves would nail a deep three to put the Broncos on top 73-70.

In a game that had seen 15 lead changes and 11 ties, it felt the Madness had finally ended, and Kentucky would walk out with yet another first-round exit.

However, Otega Oweh was ready to answer the call – in what could’ve been the final shot of his college career – he drained a near full court shot to send the game into overtime.

No. 7 seed Kentucky men’s basketball survived a near-overtime heartbreak, defeating No. 10 Santa Clara 89-85 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The win was led by none other than Oweh, who put up a career high of 35 points.

Pope rolled out his usual starting five of  Oweh, Denzel Aberdeen, Andrija Jelavic, Collin Chandler and Malachi Moreno.

Moreno would grab the opening tip and score the opening points with a tip-in, and Aberdeen would quickly follow suit, nailing a deep three to put the Cats up early.

Oweh followed with a three of his own, putting the Cats up by six in the first two minutes of play.

The Broncos strung together a few offensive drives to get the game back within a score, three straight baskets putting Kentucky up by just two.

A scoring drought for UK allowed Santa Clara to make the 6-0 scoring run that would tie the game up at eight heading into the first time out, with 15:10 on the clock.

Santa Clara would take the lead coming out of the timeout, but back-to-back baskets from Brandon Garrison would quickly put the Cats back on top 14-11, as the Broncos entered a scoring drought of their own. 

Garrison would come out of the timeout just as hot, putting up yet another score to push the lead, but a deep three from Santa Clara would tie the score at 16 halfway through the first.

Through the first ten minutes, Kentucky had shot 43.8% from the field and just 25% from the three, and Santa Clara was evenly matched, shooting 41.2% from the field and just over 22% from the three.

The Cats took a 20-18 advantage heading into a timeout with 7:26 left in the first half, led by Oweh and Garrison, who combined for 13 of Kentucky’s total points.

An Oweh steal fueled an Aberdeen slam as UK regained a two-score lead, scoring on six of eight straight shots.

Another crucial three by the Broncos would put the game back within two, ending a near three-minute scoring drought, but Mo Diobate quickly responded with a deep shot of his own for the Cats. 

With four and a half minutes to go, Santa Clara would take its first timeout, the Cats with a 26-23 lead.

Santa Clara would tie the score shortly after, as back-to-back fouls from Dioubate and Chandler would send the Broncos to the line, and after nailing three of four shots, they equaled the score at 26.

Both teams had a scoring drought pushed to three minutes before another Aberdeen three would put the Cats back on top, but once again, the Broncos would respond with one of their own.

Santa Clara took the lead with just over a minute left in the half with two free throws, and would go into halftime with a 31-29 lead.

While the Broncos would nail just one of their last seven shots of the half, four turnovers in the final five and a half minutes, and multiple scoring droughts halted Kentucky’s momentum.

The Cats ended the half shooting just 41.4% from the field and 26.7% from the three, while nailing just 33.3% of their free throws.

Aberdeen led the way with eight points, with Oweh close behind at seven, while Dioubate led the defensive front with five rebounds and a steal.

Garrison had put up a well-rounded performance with six points, three rebounds, and two blocks.

Santa Clara shot 35.5% from the field and 26.7% from the three, but five free throws would be the difference maker in giving it the lead, not to mention the Broncos having just four turnovers compared to Kentucky’s seven. 

Oweh would come out of the break with two free throws to even out the score, but Santa Clara would quickly put up a basket in response and extend its lead with a slam dunk. 

Two more free throws from Oweh and a slam and steal by Chandler got Kentucky back with some momentum.

Oweh would nail a deep three, which would also mark his 1,215th point scored as a Wildcat, breaking the record for the most points scored by a Kentucky player in a two-year span.

Both teams kept the offense on fire, exchanging baskets back and forth, but Kentucky would find a 6-0 scoring run to retake the lead, nailing three straight shots.

Santa Clara entered a scoring drought spanning over three minutes before finding a score, but the Cats would maintain a 46-44 lead heading into the first timeout of the half.

The offense stalled for the Cats as they entered a two-minute scoring drought, but the defense continued to hold strong to maintain the lead.

Garrison would come out of timeout with a poster dunk, and a turnover by the Broncos put the Cats back into scoring position, and Aberdeen would take the opportunity to drain a three-pointer.

Kentucky headed into another timeout up 51-47, after Santa Clata would drain a deep three to cut the Cats’ scoring run.

The two teams would continue exchanging baskets, and the Broncos would quickly cut the deficit down to one with just over ten minutes left in the game.

Throughout the first ten minutes of the second half, the Cats shot an impressive 61.5% from the field and 66.7% from the three, while nailing all four of their free throw attempts.

Unfortunately for Kentucky, Santa Clara was matching its level of success and would retake the lead with 9:07 left.

The lead exchanged back and forth over the next minute, with the point deficit sitting at just one point.

However, more mental errors by the Cats kept stalling their momentum, and inevitably allowed the Broncos to go back up by four heading into another timeout with just under eight minutes to go.

A wide-open three for Kam Williams put the Cats back on top by one, but the defense was unable to respond, and Santa Clara would retake its lead just as quickly. 

Kentucky finally found a stop on the defensive side and would go up by three with just under five minutes left in the game. 

With just 1:25 left in the game, the Broncos rallied to take a 70-68 lead over the Cats heading into another timeout.

The game ended in regulation with the teams tied at 73, with back-to-back three-pointers putting the teams into a five-minute overtime period.

Oweh put up the first basket in overtime, but Santa Clara quickly retook the lead with a deep three-pointer. 

Kentucky tied the score at 79 with just two minutes to go in overtime, but two Oweh free throws and a Garrison slam dunk would put them on top by four. 

Two free throws by Dioubate sealed the deal for Kentucky, but it would be an Aberdeen slam dunk that closed out the game, the Cats rallying in one of the most unlikely victories.

Mark Pope moves to 3-3 in March Madness overall, with a 3-1 record at Kentucky. 

Kentucky will now face either No. 2 Iowa State or No. 15 Tennessee State in the Round of 32 on Sunday. The time and streaming are to be determined.