A Dream 30 Years in the Making: Could It Become Reality?

Sash Gavalyugov (2) ’28 claps after making a basket during Santa Clara men’s basketball’s 62-54 defeat of Saint Mary’s at the Leavey Center on Jan. 17, 2026. The two teams will meet again in a matchup that likely will determine West Coast Conference tournament seeding on Wednesday. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara men’s basketball (23-6, 14-2) is seeking to accomplish a goal that hasn’t been achieved by the program in over three decades: an invitation to March Madness. 

With just two regular-season games remaining, it looks to be a real possibility, with ESPN’s  current Men’s Bracketology listing the Broncos as an 11 seed, firmly on the bubble as one of the last four teams to make the cut. 

As of now, the Broncos are projected to face the University of Missouri in a ‘first four’ game, where teams must win a preliminary game to advance to the field of 64. 

Santa Clara defeated the University of San Francisco for the second time this season by a score of 94-73. The Broncos were led by forward Elijah Mahi ’26, who dominated with a career high 30 points along with seven rebounds, and four steals in a must-win game. Saturday’s victory was the 173rd meeting between the two teams, with Santa Clara now holding the head-to-head lead 87-86.

Elijah Mahi (8) ’26 shoots during Santa Clara men’s basketball’s game against USF on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 at War Memorial Gym. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Following the impressive showing over USF, the Broncos have to be at their best once again as they stay on the road against the Gaels of Saint Mary’s College (25-4, 14-2), who are yet to drop a home game with a perfect record of 15-0. 

With tip-off set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, this game will inevitably have major implications as we get closer to March, as both teams are fighting for a spot in the ‘big dance,’ along with the No. 2 seed in the WCC and the chance to avoid facing the conference-leading Gonzaga Bulldogs until the finals, should they make it that far. ESPN’s Neil Paine even went as far as to say “Santa Clara's fate may rest on the Feb. 25 rematch in Moraga.”

Both programs are looking to rebound from losses at the hands of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who own the No. 1 seed in the WCC. The Broncos took down the Gaels when they met last month, 62-54, in a game that redshirt sophomore guard Christian Hammond came up clutch with 25 points in the winning effort.

Christian Hammond (1) ’28 shoots the ball during Santa Clara men’s basketball’s defeat of Saint Mary’s on January 17, 2026 at the Leavey Center. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

If the Broncos want to come out with the win, they will need to do their best to slow down Saint Mary’s junior forward Paulius Murauskas, currently second in the WCC in scoring at 19.1 PPG. In the Broncos’ earlier victory, Murasuskas was held to just 12 points, finishing with four turnovers in the loss. 

In WCC history, there have been only three occasions when three WCC teams made the NCAA tournament, coming in 2008, 2012 and 2022. The last four years have featured at least two WCC teams, with the San Francisco Dons in 2022 being the one exception to the consistent Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s duopoly over WCC teams invited to March Madness. 

Gonzaga has been a constant in March Madness for the last 25 years, not missing the tournament once, while Saint Mary’s has made 11 such appearances since 2005, looking to grab a spot for the fifth consecutive year. 

If Santa Clara were to go 2-0 on the year against Saint Mary’s, it would make it very hard for the committee to ignore them come Selection Sunday. Whether or not the NCAA decides to bring two or three WCC teams, a win over the Gaels on Wednesday would increase the Broncos’ chances dramatically, as the committee places high importance on head-to-head records when picking teams.

Mark Schmitz ’93 (20) and Steve Nash ’96 (11) of Santa Clara celebrate their 64-61 upset win over Arizona during NCAA basketball tournament, Thursday, March 18, 1993, Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Roberto Borea)

The Broncos conclude their regular season on Feb. 28, hosting Oregon State (15-14, 8-8), with the game set to tip off at 5 p.m. The teams met earlier in the season, with the Broncos knocking down 15 of 27 3-point attempts en route to a dominant 102-64 win. They hope to accomplish much of the same in the last game at Leavey Center this season.

The WCC tournament will take place from March 5-10, and the winner will be guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament. With a win over Saint Mary’s, the Broncos would likely hold the No. 2 seed, needing a strong performance in the WCC tournament to secure their spot in the big dance. 

Santa Clara Men’s basketball has made the NCAA Tournament 11 times before, most recently in the 1995-96 season, where the future 2-time NBA MVP and Bronco legend Steve Nash commanded Santa Clara to a 91-79 victory over the Maryland Terrapins, scoring 28 points while dishing out 12 assists in the round of 64 win. 

This year’s team will have to look for inspiration from past programs as they seek to accomplish a goal most thought impossible. The Broncos’ 14 conference wins set a program record, placing lofty expectations on the team to continue pushing in the midst of an already historic season.