Otega Oweh, Mark Pope and teammates talk about his huge shot vs Santa Clara

Otega Oweh had himself a game against Santa Clara and if it weren't for his late-game play, the Wildcats would be going home. But instead, he lead the Wildcats to a thrilling win over the Broncos. Kentucky had their backs against the wall when Santa Clara made a go-ahead three to take the lead with two seconds, but an Oweh three at the buzzer sent it to overtime, where they then escaped with the win.

It was an incredible performance by the veteran guard, as he went on to have a career-high 35 points on 11-24 shooting. But it was his late-game play that tells the whole story. Oweh had 22 points in the second half, adding six in overtime. His career night was one to remember and his shot will be one he and Kentucky fans remember for a long time. Oweh's performance not only puts him with the most points scored by a Kentucky player that played just two seasons with the program, but he also made some NCAA Tournament history. According to Corey Price, Oweh is the first player since Larry Bird to have a stat line of at least 27 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a single game in the tournament.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) celebrates with teammates after shooting a three point basket to tie the game. — Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) celebrates with teammates after shooting a three point basket to tie the game against the Santa Clara Broncos as time expired in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Following the incredible performance, Mark Pope and a pair of Oweh's teammates talked about how his shot and big plays down the stretch simply willed them to the big first round win. First off, Oweh himself talked what the thought process was with his shot that sent it to overtime. "I was just trying to get the ball out quick and get as close as I can to the goal. I was looking at the clock the whole time. Obviously they hit a three, so we had to hit a three. So I was really just trying to get a shot off."

Brandon Garrison, Mo Dioubate and Mark Pope talked about Oweh's heroics and what went through their minds when the shot went up. Turns out, they all had confidence in the veteran guard taking the big shot in the final seconds. It's Otega. He proved that he can make game-winners. When it went up, it looked very good and I just knew it was going in." A lot of things went through Dioubate's head with Kentucky's season on the line. "I didn't want the season to end already. We love being around each other every day. So I was just thinking this can't be the moment where -- once he made it we were so happy."

Head coach Mark Pope isn't surprised that Oweh did what he did on the big stage that is March Madness. "I've been really blessed as a coach to watch Otega do this over and over and over again. I don't know what his game-winning shot per year number is, but it's pretty impressive. ... was nervous with the trajectory, but then when it hit the glass in exactly the right spot, I'm like, oh, this is beautiful. It's awesome."

Kentucky is going to be looking for more of that March magic on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Check out the ending of the game for yourself below.

SANTA CLARA-KENTUCKY ABSOLUTELY INSANE FINISH TO REGULATION!

Spero Dedes and Jim Spanarkel with the call for CBS. 🏀🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🎙️ #MarchMadness #NCAATournament pic.twitter.com/gQfq9sehGd
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2026