Santa Clara Coach’s Timeout Call Missed as Kentucky Forces Overtime with Buzzer-Beater In a dramatic first-round NCAA Tournament clash, seventh-seeded Kentucky edged out 10th-seeded Santa Clara 89-84 in overtime, with a pivotal moment occurring in the final seconds of regulation. Santa Clara’s Allen Graves hit a game-winning 3-pointer to give his team a 73-70 lead with two seconds remaining. However, Kentucky’s Otega Oweh responded with a game-tying 3-pointer of his own, sending the game into overtime. Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek attempted to call a timeout immediately after Graves’ shot, aiming to reset his defense or strategize a response. The timeout was requested just moments after the shot, but the referee, already sprinting toward the opposing team’s inbound, did not acknowledge the call. Without the timeout, Kentucky’s Oweh was able to drive down the floor unimpeded and bank in the tying shot, altering the game’s outcome. Sendek later described the situation as a “likely response” after a go-ahead 3-pointer, noting that coaches are permitted to call timeouts on dead balls. He explained that if the timeout had been granted, he could have adjusted his defensive setup or instructed his team to foul Kentucky, potentially sending them to the free-throw line. “I tried to do that, and I was successful in doing, other than it wasn’t acknowledged,” he said. The missed timeout became a focal point of analysis, particularly for Santa Clara, which made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. The Broncos, who finished the season 26-9 and reached the WCC championship game for the first time since 2007, saw their momentum vanish in an instant. Senior forward Elijah Mahi admitted the chaos of the moment left his team scrambling. “Honestly, there was just so much going on in that moment,” he said.#kentucky #santa_clara #herb_sendek #otega_oweh #allen_graves
