Kentucky's Oweh Heroics in NCAA Opener

0:00On March 20, Kentucky pulled off a thrilling 89-84 win over Santa Clara in their NC double, a tournament opener. Seventh seed Wildcats trailed late, but forced over time thanks to Otega Owe's 40-foot buzzer-beater that banked off the glass with less than one. Second left, the shot came right after Santa Clara drained a three-pointer to take a brief lead. Down by two with nine seconds to go, Awe first drove in for a lay-up to tie things up. Santa Clara raced back and hit their big three with just over two seconds showing. Kentucky inbounded quickly, an Owe dribble-pass mid-court before launching the desperation heave that kept their season alive. Teammates and coach Mark Pope watched the ball arc through the air, feeling good once a hit the backboard perfectly. They trusted always clutch Jean, pointing to his history of game winners like beating Oklahoma twice last year on buzzer-lay-ups. Everyone knew not to doubt him in the moment. Owe exploded for thirty-five points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, stats not seen

1:01in a tournament game since Larry Bird did it for Indiana State. Back in 1979, he had acquired first half with just seven points, but dominated the second with twenty-eight more. Kentucky advances, riding Owe's heroics into the next round, where anything can happen in March Madness.