Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s have dominated the WCC for quite a while, but Santa Clara has proven one tier below with the likes of San Francisco.
But on Anime Night in Leavey Center on Saturday, the Broncos knocked off the Gaels, setting them up for an opportunity at a huge run.
The last time SC made the NCAA Tournament was in 1996, led by another smoking Bronco, Steve Nash.
But the drought could end this year.
Santa Clara’s victory over Saint Mary’s sets up another huge matchup on January 28th against San Francisco. They host San Diego next Saturday, but if they don’t win that matchup, a run to the Big Dance could become moot.
Currently 16-5 (7-1), SC’s next six matchups are all winnable. If they can get through the Dons and Toreros, they’ll face an attractive four-game slate against Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Washington State, and Seattle.
A record 22-5 (13-1) would likely get them on the bubble before a vicious three-game stretch from February 14th-25th, when they host Gonzaga, and travel to San Francisco and Saint Mary’s in those 12 days.
Santa Clara is led by coach Herb Sendek, who has Mike Leach vibes on offense. Sendek’s offenses always score a lot of points, and it feels like his players are constantly moving.
His offensive style is less structured than most Division I coaches, but this freedom is why players thrive in his system.
This year, the Broncos rank 79th nationally in points scored per game, after finishing last season ranked 21st in the nation in the same statistic.
But they’re also tough on defense this season, with two rim protectors in Bukky Oboye and Allen Graves. The pair has 49 combined blocks, and Thierry Darlan has added 15 more. SC ranks 70th in the country in rejections per game.
Their quick hands complement the rim protection. Graves is tied for 24th nationally and leads the team with 41 steals. Christian Hammond and Elijah Mahi have 53 swipes between the two of them.
The three players who lead them in steals are also their top three scorers, which means the rest of the horses gotta fight.
Defense was paramount against the Gaels, and they held the back-to-back WCC Regular Season Champs to 54 points. The combination of blocked shots and steals have the Broncos ranked 99th nationally in points allowed per game.
On offense, Hammond and Mahi lead the team in scoring with the former leading the squad with 16.9 points per game. Graves rounds out the trio averaging exactly 10 points per contest.
Obviously, a competitive team has to have a couple of guys who can create their own shot, but SC is tough to defend because it feels like everyone gets buckets.
Santa Clara has five players who average between 8.5 and 6.2 points per game. The five guys average 37.6 points combined.
The Broncos have an experienced coach, depth on offense, and rank 39th nationally in turnovers forced per game. They have the potential to make the NCAA tourney for the first time this millenium, but they have. to win their next six contests.
Santa Clara has won at least 20 games the last five seasons—excluding the 2020-21 covid year—but they probably need to get 25 to make the committee sweat.
