Santa Clara’s March Madness Appearance in Photos
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Santa Clara men’s basketball played in its first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in 30 years. In St. Louis on March 20, 2026, Santa Clara players, staff and fans—many alumni—relished in a short-lived tournament appearance.
Fans supporting Santa Clara University against the University of Kentucky in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament first round game send off the team from their hotel in St. Louis. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
A Santa Clara fan wears a t-shirt celebrating Santa Clara’s 1993 March Madness birth at the team’s hotel in St. Louis prior to the game. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
KJ Cochran ’29 talks with Tyler Webster—Santa Clara’s associate athletics director, counseling & sport psychology—prior to the NCAA Tournament first-round matchup as he does before every game. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Jake Ensminger (44) ’27 motions for his teammates to huddle up after Santa Clara’s Elijah Mahi ’26 was fouled. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Christian Hammond (1) ’27 throws up three fingers over his face to celebrate his made 3-pointer. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Santa Clara fans wore Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets on their heads during the game. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Bukky Oboye (12) ’28 dunks the ball in the beginning of the second half to put the Broncos up by 5 points. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Santa Clara pep band member Mason Colletti ’28 yells during the second half of Santa Clara men’s basketball’s NCAA tournament first-round game against Kentucky. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Allen Graves ’29 celebrates his 3-pointer that placed Santa Clara up by 3 points with two seconds left in the game. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Sash Gavalyugov ’29 puts his hands on his head after Kentucky’s Otega Oweh hit a buzzer beater to tie the game and send it to overtime. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Kentucky’s Otega Oweh (00) and his teammates celebrate his buzzer-beater 3-pointer as Santa Clara men’s basketball’s coaching staff appeals to the referee that Santa Clara men’s basketball coach called a timeout before the play. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Santa Clara men’s basketball Head Coach Herb Sendek’s family reacts to Kentucky tying the game and sending it to overtime. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Kentucky’s Denzel Aberdeen scores a fastbreak dunk to put Kentucky up by 7 points with five seconds left in overtime. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Jake Ensminger (44) ’27 makes a heart with his hands towards the Santa Clara fan section after the game ended. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Santa Clara alumni after Santa Clara’s loss to Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Elijah Mahi (center) speaks during the post-game press conference alongside Allen Graves (left) and Santa Clara men’s basketball Head Coach Herb Sendek (right). (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Attendance for Santa Clara’s first round game against Kentucky was 17,192. (Dylan Ryu/The Santa Clara)