Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
By Michael Grant on

ST. LOUIS – Despite all the talk — and there’s been plenty — about rising costs for college basketball talent, one thing remains unchanged. The NCAA Tournament has always been a make-or-miss spectacle. A bigger budget boosts a program’s chances of winning the championship, but individual games boil down to moments you can’t put a price on.

Whatever Kentucky spent on its roster, it was significantly more than Santa Clara’s. Yet, these programs were dead even for most of Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener. The No. 7-seeded Wildcats prevailed in overtime, 89-84, thanks to Otega Oweh, who was money when it mattered most.

Oweh’s desperation off-the-glass heave forced overtime. His free throws with 1:12 left in OT put his team ahead for good, 81-79. The senior guard scored a career-high 35 points and flirted with a triple-double (seven assists, eight rebounds). According to analytics guru Evan Miyakawa, Oweh is the first high-major player to record those numbers in a game since Trae Young did so for Oklahoma in 2018.

“I was just trying to get the ball out quick and get as close as I can to the goal,” Oweh said. “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 and just not wanting the season to end, just locking in, trying to make the shot.”

Oweh’s shot was a season-saver and might be a narrative-changer. The focus has been on the reported $22 million payroll for the underperforming Wildcats (22-13). But the only thing people will be talking about this weekend is the incredible finish in regulation of this epic game. Just when it seemed 10-seed Santa Clara (26-9) was going to win with Allen Graves’s three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left, Oweh flipped the script.

Oweh is a great player, but he hasn’t been a great outside shooter this season (33.6% from beyond the arc). Before his game-tying basket, Oweh was 2-for-7 from long range. 

“I was just praying for it to go in,” Kentucky teammate Mouhamed Dioubate said. “I was about to cry if he missed that shot.”

Perhaps the only one who was happier was coach Mark Pope. In his first season back with his alma mater, Pope received credit for getting Kentucky to the Sweet 16. In his second season, he has faced significant criticism for failing to meet expectations despite an expensive roster. During Thursday’s press conference, he blamed the media for what he called inaccurate reporting about the Wildcats’ NIL spending. 

Thanks to Oweh, the ultra-demanding Kentucky fan base will have little to complain about. At least for a few days.

“One of the things I was really proud of was there was no pause, throw your hands up, feel sorry for yourself reaction from our guys,” Pope said. “They scrambled, got the ball, and Otega raced down the floor and stopped right in front of me, and as he raised up, he said, ‘That’s a bucket,’ and threw it in off the glass.”

As a Kentucky player, Pope was part of memorable moments, including winning the 1996 national championship. Now, he’s experiencing them as a coach. In a make-or-miss tournament, one shot can change everything.

“I don’t know where you get this drama,” Pope said. “I don’t know where you get this transformation of emotions from despair to thrill to despair to thrill in a matter of four seconds. But we got that a bunch tonight, and it’s pretty great. And then even more importantly, the fact that you get to do it with a group of guys that you’ve worked with, sacrificed with, teased, tormented, consoled, that you do it with that group of guys is special. That’s why March Madness is incredible because you get to do it with this group of guys.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.

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