Santa Clara coach rips refs after Kentucky stunner in NCAA tournament: 'I unequivocally called timeout'
Moments before Kentucky's miracle 3-pointer tied the game at the buzzer, Broncos head coach Herb Sendek tried to call a timeout, but it was not granted.
Seconds after Allen Graves’ go-ahead 3-pointer put Santa Clara ahead by three points with 2. 1 seconds left in regulation, Herb Sendek recognized the need to stop play and set his team’s defense before Kentucky could inbound the ball. Sendek raced down the sideline signaling for a timeout as referee Todd Austin ran ahead of him in the same direction with his back turned to the Santa Clara coach.
What happened next on Friday afternoon will live forever — in Sendek’s nightmares and in NCAA tournament lore. Kentucky’s Otega Oweh received the inbound pass on the run, charged up court and banked in a game-tying 32-footer as the buzzer sounded, sending a thrilling first-round NCAA tournament classic to overtime and paving the way for seventh-seeded Kentucky to escape with an 89-84 victory. NO.
WAY. 😱 WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME!!! #MarchMadness pic.
twitter. com/3n8rDxkY3h — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026 When asked about the sequence by reporters after the game, Sendek said, “I unequivocally called timeout, but they didn’t grant it. ” “I mean, I think the video evidence is clear,” Sendek continued.