A disastrous first-round exit stared Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats in the face, with only seconds separating them from another March Madness heartbreak. And then Otega Oweh stepped up to save face, and his excellent play sparked massive reactions from the fans.

Otega Oweh’s heroics ensured the Blue Bloods team took the game to overtime and ultimately got the win. Allen Graves’ three-pointer seemed to have sealed the win for Santa Clara. However, Kentucky chose a quick inbound, handing the ball to Otega Oweh, who ran past the halfway line before launching it towards the basket as the clock whittled down. Oweh’s three-pointer from beyond the logo helped Kentucky tie the game.

The Wildcats won by five points, with Oweh scoring a game-high 35 points. Mark Pope has been under pressure after Kentucky’s regular season, especially after former head coach John Calipari’s exploits at Arkansas, and this win will help ease some of it.

The victory was a massive relief for a fanbase that hasn’t seen a deep tournament run in years. The win sets up a matchup between Kentucky and two-seed Iowa State, and it will be interesting to see if the senior guard can continue this form against the Cyclones.

The fans went crazy after Otega Oweh’s heroics helped Kentucky avoid another early NCAA Tournament exit, with the Wildcats not really boasting a deep run in the National Championship for a while now.

“MADNESS” – Fans pour their hearts out on social media after Otega Oweh rescues Kentucky

Fans could not hold back after Oweh’s 35 points helped Kentucky come back against a high-spirited Santa Clara.

One fan exclaimed, “Glass from almost half court to send to OT?? LEGEND!”

Otega Oweh has already acquired legendary status at Kentucky. In his senior year now, Oweh has already become the highest-scoring debut season transfer in Kentucky history. But his performance in the win over Santa Clara propelled him among the greats in college basketball.

Oweh became the first player since Larry Bird to record a game with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in a single NCAA Tournament game and did it in a winning cause, too.

Another fan was in awe of what they witnessed as they said, “One of the best sequences I’ve ever seen.” Kentucky fans were relieved to get past Santa Clara. They said, “Escape and advance. Escape and advance, baby.”

Mark Pope’s team made another great escape this year in what has been a season full of such storylines. And the Santa Clara win highlighted how much of a season of winning ugly it has been for Mark Pope & co.

Meanwhile, fans celebrated and lamented the effect the Kentucky win had on their NCAA Bracket predictions. One fan said, “Saved my bracket,” while others added, “This ended my perfect bracket.”

Well, this year’s NCAA Tournament has already served up some nasty results, with Saint Louis decisively beating Georgia, High Point upsetting Wisconsin, and VCU beating North Carolina. While Kentucky’s win saved some brackets and ruined others, all the people who had their brackets intact despite such results early on deserve props for being able to read such an unpredictable first round.