Kentucky's Oweh Heroics Force OT Win

0:00On March 20, Kentucky pulled off a thrilling first-round win in the NCAA tournament, beating Santa Clara 89-84 in overtime. Seventh-seated Wildcat star, Otega Oei stole the show with a career high, 35 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. His half-court buzzer-beater at the end of regulation forced the extra period, and he sealed it with key free throws. Santa Clara grabbed a three-point lead with just 2.4 seconds left on a late three-pointer. Oei caught the inbound, dribbled up court, and launched from inside half-court. The shot banked in right as time expired, sending the game to overtime in pure March man this fashion. Coaches and players wrote an emotional rollercoaster from despair to pure joy in seconds. Kentucky's Mark Pope called it a wild transformation of feelings. Santa Clara's herb sendek felt the high-crash hard, especially after seeking their first tournament win since 1996. In overtime, six foot 10 center-branding garrison came up huge, blocking two three-point

1:03tries by Santa Clara's smaller guard in the final minute. That sparked a dunk in free throws to hold the lead. Team mates praised his smart defensive switch call in a huddle. Kentucky advances to face the winner of Iowa State and Tennessee State in the second round, marking their 63rd tournament trip the most ever. Oei, a transfer from Oklahoma, now holds the school record for points in a player's first two seasons. The wildcats keep the man as rolling.