Otega Oweh shares initial reaction to wild buzzer-beater: ‘It’s March Madness’
By David Wasson
Published:
March Madness delivers all kinds of weird, wild, electrifying, unforgettable highlights every year. And so far in 2026, there has been no shortage of “One Shining Moment”-worthy moments.
Take Friday’s first-round matchup between seventh-seeded Kentucky and 10th-seeded Santa Clara – in which one could argue any of the plays in the final 30 seconds of regulation were worthy of inclusion in the NCAA Tournament-ending montage.
But standing above them all, at least for now, was Otega Oweh’s 32-foot, buzzer-beating, bank-shot 3 to force overtime for Kentucky in an eventual 89-84 Wildcats victory.
After the game, Oweh – who finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists – was surrounded courtside while describing his miracle shot and electrifying play to CBS sideline reporter Jon Rothstein.
“That’s what March is. All the best games happen at this time of year. I was just glad we pulled it out,” Oweh said. “I was trying to get as close as possible to make the shot and it just went in. It’s March Madness – that’s the type of vibe it is, I ain’t gonna lie. We don’t want to go home.”
The Wildcats (22-13) advance to Sunday’s second round, where they will meet second-seeded Iowa State – which was handling Tennessee State throughout in St. Louis.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
