High Stakes Ahead for the Broncos at the WCC Tournament

Left: Sash Gavalyugov ’28 high fives his teammate during Santa Clara men’s basketball’s game against USF at the Leavey Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. Right: Maia Jones ’26 high fives her teammate after hitting a 3-pointer against USF at the Leavey Center on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara University men’s basketball finished its regular season on Saturday, Feb. 28 with a 93-72 home win over Oregon State. The victory brought the Broncos’ record to 24-7 overall and 15-3 in conference play. The 15 conference wins sets a program record and marks the second-most regular-season victories in school history. Santa Clara has secured the third-place spot in the pre-tournament WCC standings. 

With only three conference losses against Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, the Broncos have demonstrated their strength against the rest of the WCC. A strong showing in the conference tournament could keep Santa Clara in the conversation for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, something they have not qualified for in three decades. 

“Santa Clara, offensively, they’re capable when I’ve watched them play. Ball goes in the basket. I like ’em. I say put ’em in. Santa Clara’s only losses this calendar year have been to Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s,” said Scott Van Pelt on his weekly ESPN sports podcast. 

On March 3rd, Sendek was named WCC Coach of the Year for the first time in his 10-year tenure at Santa Clara University. He became just the third coach in NCAA Division I history to earn Coach of the Year honors at four different programs across four conferences, joining Dana Altman and Rick Pitino.

Graves was honored as both WCC Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, becoming the first player to win two since Brandin Podziemski won both the league’s Newcomer and Player of the Year awards in 2022-23. Allen Graves ’29, Christian Hammond ’28, and Elijah Mahi ’26 also each earned their first All-WCC First Team selections. 

Jameson Baldwin ’28, an avid fan of both Bronco basketball teams, had a message for fellow students. “Even if it is a three seed versus a five seed, we’re tuning into that game and still watching and being excited about it.”

Since Santa Clara men’s basketball is the No. 3 seed, they receive a bye to Sunday’s quarterfinal round at 8 p.m., where they will play against either No. 6 Pacific, No. 7 Seattle, No. 10 LMU, or No. 11 San Diego. A win would send Santa Clara to Monday’s semifinal, setting up a rematch with No. 2 Saint Mary’s.

The Santa Clara women’s basketball team is also the No. 3 seed and will receive a bye to Sunday’s quarterfinal round at 2 p.m., where they will play against either No. 6 Pepperdine, No. 7 USF, No. 10 Saint Mary’s, or No. 11 San Diego. A victory would push Santa Clara to Monday’s semifinal against No. 2 Gonzaga. 

On the women’s side, four student-athletes earned All-WCC honors. Graduate student Ashley Hawkins and Maia Jones ’26 were named to the First Team, Ava Schmidt ’27 received Second Team recognition, and Delainey Miller ’29 was selected to the All-Freshman Team, emphasizing the depth and experience the Broncos will bring to the conference tournament in Las Vegas.