NCAA Tournament March Madness

#80 Santa Clara

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Projection: likely out

Santa Clara’s profile reads like a team with signature flashes and damaging blemishes, anchored by a resume-building win on the road at Xavier and a neutral-site victory over Minnesota that show it can close out games away from home, plus a solid result against Nevada that adds depth to the win column; those moments are offset by a lopsided defeat at New Mexico and a string of tight losses at neutral sites to Saint Louis, Arizona State, and Loyola-Chicago that undercut the quality of the résumé and raise questions about the team’s consistency. The Broncos still have clear pathways to strengthen their case, most notably a difficult trip to Gonzaga and a later meeting with the Bulldogs on their home floor, along with league dates at Oregon State, St Mary’s, San Francisco, and San Diego where road or neutral victories would change the committee’s view. With meaningful road and neutral success already on the ledger but a handful of bad or narrowly lost opportunities dragging down the profile, their standing reflects a team that has earned consideration but still needs signature results in the toughest venues to feel secure.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/7McNeese St64W79-67
11/10@Xavier102W87-68
11/15Nevada85W98-83
11/18Idaho St172W64-55
11/21Louisiana325W80-43
11/27(N)St Louis39L71-70
11/28(N)Minnesota100W86-75
12/3Utah Tech239W90-80
12/6@New Mexico69L98-71
12/13(N)Arizona St77L82-79
12/17(N)North Texas141W63-60
12/20(N)Loyola-Chicago298L80-78
12/28@Oregon St16566%
12/30@Portland22878%
1/2Pepperdine25092%
1/4San Diego23191%
1/8@Gonzaga45%
1/10Loy Marymount12576%
1/14Pacific12476%
1/17St Mary's CA3340%
1/24@San Diego23178%
1/28San Francisco9767%
1/31@Loy Marymount12556%
2/4@Pacific12455%
2/7@Washington St15363%
2/10Seattle11171%
2/11Seattle11171%
2/14Gonzaga414%
2/21@San Francisco9745%
2/25@St Mary's CA3321%
2/28Oregon St16584%