ST. LOUIS -- Otega Oweh rescued Kentucky with a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to force overtime, then hit the tiebreaking free throws in the extra period as the seventh-seeded Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In an electrifying finish to regulation that defines the words "March Madness," Santa Clara's Allen Graves drained a 3 from the right wing with 2.4 seconds left to put the Broncos ahead 73-70. Oweh received the inbound pass, pushed the ball up the court and pulled up to the left of the midcourt logo to launch his desperation heave. The ball was midair when the buzzer sounded, and it banked in for the tie.
Oweh scored a career-high 35 points and had eight rebounds and seven assists for the Wildcats (22-13), who will face either No. 2 seed Iowa State or 15th-seeded Tennessee State in the second round in the Midwest Region.
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- After nearly three weeks on the sideline with a foot injury, Duke big man Patrick Ngongba II could be back in the lineup for the Blue Devils' second-round game against TCU on Saturday.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he's "hopeful" Ngongba will play, although he said the sophomore still had some hurdles to clear during Friday's practice and overnight recovery.
"He needs to practice," Scheyer said. "He needs to just be on the floor and move the way that he needs to be successful. He's been ramping up and doing a really good job. We just want to make sure he's feeling right to play at a high level -- not just to be out there, but to be him."
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