Otega Oweh may have saved and ignited the Mark Pope era with his career performance

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) shoots a three point basket against Santa Clara Broncos guard Sash Gavalyugov (2) to tie the game as time expires in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images March has a way of changing the trajectory of teams and programs.

It happened to Gonzaga when, in 1999, Casey Calvary tipped in a shot with seconds remaining in the Bulldogs’ upset win over Florida in the Sweet 16. Gus Johnson, calling the game for CBS, famously punctuated that play by saying, “GONZAGA! The Slipper.

Still. Fits! ” Gonzaga has been among the nation’s best programs since.

That same season, Richard Hamilton swished a buzzer-beater for UConn in the Sweet 16. The Huskies went on to upset Duke in the National Championship in 1999, their first of six national championships in the last 28 years. In 2011, Kentucky’s Brandon Knight made game-winning jumpers against Princeton in the First Round and Ohio State in the Sweet 16, propelling the Kentucky Wildcats to the Final Four, their first since 1998 and first in John Calipari’s tenure as their head coach.