Otega Oweh etched his place in Kentucky and March Madness lore forever when he hit a 32-foot field goal to send the game into overtime with the game tied at 70 on Friday afternoon.
The historic shot generated some controversy as Santa Clara’s head coach called a timeout before the ball went in.
advertise
Broncos’ No. 4 Allen Graves hit a three-pointer from the right wing to give the team a three-point lead, 73-70. Then Sendek signaled a timeout, but the referee didn’t approve it, and Oweh’s legendary shot tied the game.
Sendek was asked about the timeout after the game and was frustrated that the referee didn’t see him on the sidelines.
“I clearly called a timeout. But they didn’t grant it,” he said.
However, it turned out that the referee’s decision not to give Sendek a timeout was correct.
Former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl commented on the situation after the game, saying that while the ball was still in the net, no one had possession of it. But once the Wildcats caught the ball and took it out of bounds, the ball was Kentucky’s.
advertise
So, because Denzel Aberdeen caught the ball inbounds so quickly, that immediately meant it was Kentucky’s ball and, therefore, Sendek couldn’t call another timeout. If Sendek had called a timeout before Aberdeen got the ball, the timeout should have been granted.
It was a controversial decision, and the Cats ended up on the right side against Santa Clara and lived to see another day.
Be sure to add us to your “Preferred Source” on Google Get the latest kentucky wildcats News and views! As always, go cats!