Entering the WCC tournament, the NCAA tournament path for Santa Clara was simple, not easy.
Beat either Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s for a second Quad 1 victory, and the Broncos would likely be going dancing. Santa Clara has largely taken care of business this season, but the WCC provides only so many opportunities for résumé building victories.
Monday night’s WCC semifinal provided Santa Clara its golden opportunity to punch a likely tournament bid, and the Broncos delivered with a 76–71 win over No. 21 Saint Mary’s — its second win over the Gaels this season which notched a second Q1 W on the books.
In a back-and-forth affair, Santa Clara led 73–71 with less than 20 seconds to play and the shot clock waning. Broncos guard Sash Gavalyugov took the ball on the left wing, crossed over and hit a deep step back three to clinch the victory.
Santa Clara is going dancing!! Sash Gavalyugov plunges the dagger into #21 Saint Mary’s pic.twitter.com/msJkAAmXjH
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 10, 2026
Santa Clara’s NCAA tournament case
Santa Clara sits No. 42 in the NET entering Tuesday’s WCC final against No. 12 Gonzaga, who beat Oregon State 65–56 in Monday night’s other WCC semifinal to officially end the Tres Tinkle tenure in Corvallis. The Broncos are 2–5 in Quad 1, 6–2 in Quad 2, 10–0 in Quad 3 and 7–1 in Quad 4. The Gaels are also No. 40 in the “Wins Above Bubble” metric, which measures a team’s performance against its schedule relative to how an average bubble team would fare against that same schedule. Sitting at No. 40 in the WAB is indicative of an NCAA tournament-quality résumé.
2026 would mark fourth time WCC has clinched three bids to NCAA tournament
This is the final season of the WCC in its current form, with powerhouse Gonzaga set to join the new Pac-12 beginning next season. Oregon State and Washington State are also set to play a full Pac-12 schedule once again starting next season, after spending the last two years as a WCC affiliate member following the demise of the old Pac-12 conference that left the Beavers and Cougars scrambling for somewhere to play.
With two traditional power conference programs and Gonzaga all leaving the WCC, this is likely the last time we’ll see a three-bid WCC for the foreseeable future. After all, the Bulldogs have been an NCAA tournament mainstay as one of the top basketball programs in the country.
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s are both NCAA tournament locks, and now it’s very likely that Santa Clara is going dancing too. If all three hear their names called on Selection Sunday, it will mark the fourth time in WCC history that the conference has been a three-bid league.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sash Gavalyugov’s Late Three Sends Santa Clara to WCC Final, Likely At-Large Bid for NCAA Tournament.
