Why Herb Sendek was wrong about timeout controversy before Otega Oweh’s miracle 3-pointer

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Santa Clara Broncos head coach Herb Sendek reacts against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images Otega Oweh etched his spot in Kentucky and March Madness lore forever on Friday afternoon as he drilled a 32-footer to send the game to overtime tied at 70.

The historic shot has come with a bit of controversy, as Santa Clara’s head coach was seen calling for a timeout before the ball was inbounded. Allen Graves, the Broncos’ stretch-4, nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing to put his team up three, 73-70, and then Sendek was seen signaling for a timeout that was not granted by the officials, ultimately leading to Oweh’s legendary shot to tie the game. Sendek was asked about the timeout postgame and was definitely upset that the refs didn’t see him on the sidelines.

“I unequivocally called a timeout. But they didn’t grant it,” he said. However, it turns out that the referees’ decision not to grant Sendek a timeout was the correct call.

Former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl commented on the situation postgame, saying that when the ball is still in the net, it’s no one’s possession. But once the Wildcats grabbed the ball and took it inbounds, it was then Kentucky’s possession. So, because Denzel Aberdeen grabbed the ball to inbound it so quickly, that immediately meant it was Kentucky’s ball, and therefore, Sendek could no longer call a timeout.