Kentucky guard Otega Oweh became a permanent highlight reel on Friday and got the attention of NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Jason Kelce.
Oweh hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer against No. 10-seeded Santa Clara that forced the No. 7-seeded Wildcats into overtime against the Broncos in a Midwest Region first-round game in the NCAA Men’s Tournament. Kentucky ended up winning 89-84 in overtime.
How Patrick Mahomes and Jason Kelce Reacted to Kentucky’s Buzzer-Beater
Mahomes, who knows a few things about making big plays in Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, headed out to X and shared his reaction after watching Santa Clara and Kentucky trade 3-pointers in the final seconds.
Hahah Wow Kentucky!! 🤣
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 20, 2026
“Hahah Wow Kentucky!!” Mahomes wrote, adding a laughing emoji at the end.
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Kelce, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, reacted in a way that many college basketball fans probably were while watching the game on CBS. Kelce posted on X, “Two seconds after saying f**king Kentucky, we’re back in it baby!!!”
In case you didn’t catch Oweh’s big 3-pointer, SleeperHoops’ account on X shared it on Friday. “How did Otega Oweh hit this shot,” the account posted. “The art of March.”
How did Otega Oweh hit this shot.
The art of March.
pic.twitter.com/Q8g2zf62g6
— SleeperHoops (@Sleeper_Hoops) March 20, 2026
Oweh scored 35 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. That type of scoring line has not been done since Larry Bird played for Indiana State in the NCAA Men’s Tournament.
Bird racked up 35 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists in a Final Four game that the Sycamores played against the DePaul Blue Demons in 1979.
Santa Clara held a 31-29 halftime lead over Kentucky, but the two teams just battled it out down the stretch. Before Oweh’s 3-pointer, with just 2.4 seconds left on the clock, Santa Clara’s Allen Graves hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Broncos a 73-70 lead.
But Kentucky moved the ball up the court, and Oweh let his 30-foot 3-pointer go just as the clock was hitting all zeros. Once Oweh’s shot went into the basket, it led to an eruption along the Kentucky sidelines.
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While Mahomes and Kelce reacted to what went down at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the Wildcats were enjoying the thrill of victory. Santa Clara, though, had to deal with the agony of defeat and a first-round exit from the NCAA Men’s Tournament.
It’s March Madness time. Anything can happen, just as Oweh proved in a big-time moment.
