Officials missed Herb Sendek timeout on Otega Oweh March Madness buzzer-beater

Two missed calls late in Kentucky vs. Santa Clara may have played a factor in the Wildcats' March Madness win vs. the Broncos.

Kentucky was able to rally to defeat Santa Clara in the opening round of the men's NCAA Tournament — and it may have gotten lucky with officials missing some key moments.

After Allen Graves hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for Santa Clara with 2.4 seconds left, Broncos coach Herb Sendek tried to call a timeout, likely wanting to set up his defense for Kentucky's last shot. While the CBS broadcast caught it, the referees didn't appear to see it and didn't award the timeout.

Kentucky's Otega Oweh instead hit a stunning 3-point buzzer beater from the March Madness logo to force overtime. While there's no telling if that happens or not if Santa Clara got its timeout, the Broncos could have had a chance to defend the final play more efficiently.

"Well, I unequivocally called timeout. But they didn't grant it," Sendek said. "I think the video evidence is clear, and anybody is able to pull it up. So, you know, is a likely response after Allen hits the three that the coach would be calling timeout to set the defense, which I tried to do, and I was successful in doing, other than it wasn't acknowledged or recognized. So that's what happened."

CBS studio analyst Bruce Pearl said Sendek could have gone slightly on the court to alert the officials, but one of them should've noticed the call.