LIVE BLOG: Kentucky vs. Santa Clara, NCAA Tournament First Round

FINAL (OT): Kentucky 89, Santa Clara 84

PHEW! BREATHE. CATS ADVANCE

18.9 OT: Kentucky 85, Santa Clara 82

Just like that, it’s a three-point game, Jake Ensminger hitting a three to pull the Broncos within three with 18.9 seconds to go.

SIX blocks for Brandon Garrison

It’s still BG time in overtime! Garrison just blocked shots on back to back possesssions. Kentucky now leads by six after two free throws by Mo Dioubate

48.5 OT: BRANDON GARRISON TIME AGAIN

It’s BG Time again, folks! Brandon Garrison’s breakaway slam just put Kentucky up four with 48.5 seconds to go. He’s been incredible today.

1:12 OT: Kentucky 81, Santa Clara 79

Otega Oweh hit his free throws. Thank goodness. Oweh’s up to 33 points. What a game from him.

2:55 OT: Kentucky 77, Santa Clara 76

We’re trading buckets so far in overtime. Brandon Garrison just missed two free throws that would have pushed Kentucky’s lead to three. HIT YOUR FREE THROWS

WE’RE GOING TO OVERTIME

Just when you thought it was over and Kentucky was about to lose in the first round again, here comes Otega Oweh. Oweh just nailed almost a halfcourt shot to force overtime.

FREE BASKETBALL

24.2 2H: Santa Clara 70, Kentucky 68

It’s now a 4:24 field goal drought for the Cats. Otega Oweh almost broke it, but his three went in and spun back out. Brutal. Thankfully, the same happened to Allen Graves on the other end. It’ll be Kentucky ball coming out of this timeout.

1:25 2H: Santa Clara 70, Kentucky 68

Gulp. Allen Graves just scored to put Santa Clara on top with 1:25 to go. The Cats haven’t made a field goal in almost three and a half minutes.

Cross everything you’ve got, BBN.

Tie Game

We’ve got a tie game with two minutes to go. Otega Oweh could have put the Cats on top, but missed one of two free throws. HIT YOUR FREE THROWS

1:48 2H: Kentucky 68, Santa Clara 68

3:41 2H: Kentucky 67, Santa Clara 64

Shew, just breathe. Otega Oweh is putting the team on his back, now up to 23 points. He’s getting some big help from Mo Dioubate, who made a big layup and is keeping Kentucky alive on the boards. Dioubate just picked up his third foul. Santa Clara will head to the free-throw line after this timeout.

Kentucky is finally playing with some intensity. Don’t let up, Cats!

KAM WILLIAMS THREE!

Oh, hey, Kam Williams! Williams just hit a three to put Kentucky up by one after an Otega Oweh missed free throw.

5:50 2H: Kentucky 63, Santa Clara 62

Otega Oweh reclaims the lead

When in doubt, let Otega Oweh do what Otega Oweh does. Oweh just drove the lane and scored, drawing a foul in the process. He hit the free throw to complete the three-point play and put Kentucky back on top by one.

7:47 2H: Santa Clara 59, Kentucky 55

BG giveth, and BG taketh away. Brandon Garrison just committed an offensive foul, his fourth foul of the day. Otega Oweh picked up a foul too, just his second. The Cats are up to six fouls this half.

Santa Clara is now on top by four, 59-55, with 7:47 to go. Reminder: Kentucky led by seven at the 12:21 mark. Mo Dioubate can trim that to two from the free-throw line after this timeout.

After Sash Gavalyugov’s three, Elijah Mahi turned and motioned for the Santa Clara section to get loud. They’ve been on their feet the entire day.

HOLY BRANDON GARRISON

It’s not just Brandon Garrison Time, it’s Brandon Garrison Posterizing Dunk Time! BG just slammed it home with ridiculous authority, putting Kentucky up by four and bringing the BBN to its feet. The cheers only got louder when Denzel Aberdeen hit a three-pointer. Unfortunately, Santa Clara’s Sash Gavalyugov followed up with one of his own to bring the lead back to four.

11:45 2H: Kentucky 51, Santa Clara 47

Otega Oweh passes Bill Spivy on the all-time scoring leaderboard

Otega Oweh only needed 12 points to pass Bill Spivy on the program’s all-time scoring list. He’s got 16 already, taking his total to 1,216 at Kentucky, the most by a player in two years in program history.

Collin Chandler is alive!

Collin Chandler couldn’t have had a worse first half, going 0-5 from the three-point line. Finally, he just drove the lane and dunked it, which seems to have sparked a fire under this squad. A minute and a half later, he hit his first three of the day. The Cats have outscored Santa Clara 11-9 since that dunk and 17-13 this half.

Kentucky is dictating the pace so far this half, driving the basket and using its size and athleticism inside. That’s helping matters outside, Oweh, Aberdeen, and Chandler all hitting threes. Now, if they can string together some stops on defense…

13:22 2H: Kentucky 46, Santa Clara 44

HALFTIME: Santa Clara leads Kentucky 31-29

Well, that sucked.

Kentucky didn’t score for the final 2:29 and turned it over four times in the last 5:30 to turn a six-point lead into a two-point deficit at the break. Bad shot selection and turnovers are killing this team, and the worst part is Santa Clara’s best player isn’t even the one torching the Cats — he hasn’t even been on the floor, limited to six minutes with three fouls.

Instead, Elijah Mahi leads the Broncos with 10 points, followed by Jake Ensminger with six and Sash Gavalyugov with five.

For the Wildcats, Denzel Aberdeen has eight points, followed by Otega Oweh with an inefficient seven, Brandon Garrison with six, Mo Dioubate with five and Malachi Moreno with three. Collin Chandler is scoreless with five misses from three and the team just 4-15 from deep overall.

We are uncomfortable here in St. Louis.

Kentucky isn’t taking advantage of three fouls on Graves

Gotta get something from Collin Chandler

Did somebody say… BG Time?

Annnnnnd Santa Clara leads…

How about a quick start for the Cats?!

Light crowd at the opening tip

Starting Lineups

No surprises here, the Cats going with the usual five vs. Santa Clara.

The view from the Enterprise Center

We’re 30 minutes from tipoff here in St. Louis, and the arena is slowly filling up. So far, Kentucky and Iowa State fans dominate the crowd. I have a feeling the Cyclone fans will be all in on Santa Clara today — but BBN will have a presence.

Blue is getting into St. Louis

It’s taken a little bit, but Kentucky Blue is finally getting into St. Louis. Dylan Ballard stopped by the UK Alumni Association this morning, where fans were enjoying the warm weather and getting ready for today’s big game.

How to Watch, Listen

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara is the first game of the day, airing on CBS starting at 12:15 p.m. ET. If you didn’t take the day off work, I hope you’ve got a clever game-watching setup ready.