NCAA Tournament March Madness

#35 Santa Clara

Bubble Watch | Bracketology

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Projected seed: 11 (last four in)

Santa Clara’s placement near the bubble flows from a resume that pairs an explosive offense and impressive wins away from home with a few damaging setbacks that a selection committee will notice. Signature road victories at Xavier and Oregon State, a neutral-site triumph over Minnesota and a head-to-head win over St. Mary’s show the team can win in hostile environments and beat respected opponents. Those highs are tempered by an ugly trip to New Mexico, repeated losses at Gonzaga and narrow neutral defeats to St. Louis and Loyola-Chicago that sap the profile’s momentum. The overall picture is of a club that can pile up points on any night but also gives up too much in certain losses, so its upside is clear while its vulnerability keeps it precarious. That mix explains the current projection and makes the conference tournament a pivotal chance to add a neutral, quality victory that would solidify the bid.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/7McNeese St66W79-67
11/10@Xavier96W87-68
11/15Nevada75W98-83
11/18Idaho St250W64-55
11/21Louisiana313W80-43
11/27(N)St Louis40L71-70
11/28(N)Minnesota78W86-75
12/3Utah Tech187W90-80
12/6@New Mexico49L98-71
12/13(N)Arizona St67L82-79
12/17(N)North Texas135W63-60
12/20(N)Loyola-Chicago280L80-78
12/28@Oregon St178W102-64
12/30@Portland203W92-85
1/2Pepperdine264W82-63
1/4San Diego225W98-70
1/8@Gonzaga11L89-77
1/10Loy Marymount161W103-72
1/14Pacific112W85-69
1/17St Mary's CA23W62-54
1/24@San Diego225W85-73
1/28San Francisco121W88-73
1/31@Loy Marymount161W104-73
2/4@Pacific112W71-56
2/7@Washington St137W96-92
2/11Seattle119W84-72
2/14Gonzaga11L94-86
2/21@San Francisco121W94-73
2/25@St Mary's CA23L86-67
2/28Oregon St178W93-72
3/8(N)Pacific112W76-68
3/9@St Mary's CA23W76-71
3/10@Gonzaga11L79-68