SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After a dominating victory over UC Riverside, Santa Clara men’s basketball (21-12, 12-6) will host another postseason game in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) welcoming UAB (23-12, 13-5) to the Leavey Center Sunday. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. tip. Eric Rothman and Tim Welsh will have the call live for ESPNU, while Anthony Passarelli and Henry Caruso will have the audio only call live on Sidearm Streaming. Both links can be found above.
Last time out, the Broncos picked up their first win in the NIT since 1984, with a 101-62 thumping of UC Riverside in Tuesday’s opening round. Santa Clara shot 60.7 from the field - the first time shooting 60 percent or better since 2022 vs. Portland - and knocked down 16 3-pointers on 59.3 percent shooting (2nd best of the season). It was SCU’s fifth game with 15 or more treys and their 23rd with 10 or more. Five Broncos finished in double figure scoring led by a game-high 17 points from Tyeree Bryan, who knocked down 5-of-6 3-point attempts.
The Broncos are one of three teams in the WCC to have five or more players averaging double figures in scoring (Gonzaga, Washington State). Adama-Alpha Bal leads the way with 12.9 ppg (18th in WCC). Christoph Tilly is second on the team with 12.3 ppg (21st in WCC), Carlos Stewart Jr. is third on the team with 12.1 ppg (23rd in WCC), Elijah Mahi is fourth on the team with 11.1 ppg (28th in WCC), and Tyeree Bryan rounds out the pack with 10.3 ppg (34th in WCC). The Broncos also excel in bench production, ranking first in the WCC (and 24th nationally) with 28.64 bench points per game. They also rank second in the WCC (and 11th nationally) with 17.2 assists per game.
Santa Clara has proven to be among the top rebounding teams in the league, ranking third in the WCC (and 54th nationally) with 37.73 total rebounds per outing. Senior forward Johnny O’Neil leads the way with 5.6 rebounds per game (16th in WCC), while Jake Ensminger is not far behind with 5.5 rpg (17th in WCC).
Santa Clara leads the WCC and is fifth nationally in 3-pointers per game (11.0). They have hit 10 or more treys in a school record 23 games this season and are 18-5 when doing so. Santa Clara is one of just three teams in the nation that have three players shooting at 42 percent or
better from 3-point range (min. of 50 attempts) - Elijah Mahi (.451), Brenton Knapper (.435) and Tyeree Bryan (.432). The Broncos also lead the WCC in 3-pointers per game in league play with 11.7 per outing. Adama-Alpha Bal (2.3), Tyeree Bryan (2.1), and Carlos Stewart Jr. (2.0) rank inside the top 10, respectively individually in the league in 3’s per game Johnny O’Neil (1.7) also ranks inside the top 15.
Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC with 81.9 points per game behind Gonzaga (86.7). That mark ranks 20th nationally in NCAA D1. The Broncos have fared even better in league play with an average of 82.9 ppg, also second behind Gonzaga’s 87.9 ppg average.
UAB is led by Andy Kennedy in his fifth season at the helm after a prolific career at Ole Miss where he was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year. During his time in Birmingham, he has guided the Blazers to the NCAA Tournament twice in the last four seasons and has tallied more wins in his five seasons than any coach in program history (123). Under his direction, the Blazers are 23-12 on the season, played in their second-straight AAC Championship game and are coming off a 69-65 win over Saint Joseph’s in the opening round of the NIT. UAB averages 82.5 ppg (15th nationally), ranks 16th nationally in rebounding (39.8), is second nationally in offensive rebounding (14.7) and is eighth nationally in fastbreak points at 15.3 per game.
Individually, Yaxel Lendeborg, a First Team All-NABC pick, averages a double-double of 17.7 points and 11.0 rebounds (4th nationally) and has the second-most such games in the nation with 23 on the year. He is one of four Blazers that are averaging 10.0 ppg or better.
This will be just the fourth time that the Broncos and Blazers have faced off and the first since Nov. 17, 2008. UAB won two of those three prior meetings.
For more information, click on the game notes link above.
STREAMING INFO
The game will be streamed on ESPNU and can be listened to on Sidearm Streaming here.
Broncos At A Glance…
NIT History:
Santa Clara is playing in their seventh National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and their third over the last four seasons. The Broncos are 2-6 all-time in the NIT and are looking to get out of the first round for the first time since 1984 - SCU’s first-ever appearance in the tournament where they won their first two games before falling in the quarterfinal round.
This is the second-straight time that the Broncos have been a top four seed and will host the opening round. SCU hosted Sam Houston in 2023 in a tough one-possession final that saw the Broncos fall 78-76 in the final moments.
Top Four Yet Again:
This is the fourth-consecutive season that Santa Clara has finished inside the top four of the WCC standings. It is the longest such streak since Dick Davey guided SCU to fourth place or better in eight consecutive seasons (1994-95 through 2001-02).
Another Year Another 20 Wins:
With a 21-12 mark, Santa Clara has clinched their fourth-consecutive 20-win campaign - the longest streak in program history. If you exclude the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season in which Santa Clara was only allowed to play in 20 games total, the streak is five consecutive seasons.
Herb Sendek has now posted five 20-win seasons, just one shy of tying for the most in program history.
Carroll Williams - 6
Herb Sendek - 5
Dick Davey - 4
Four Straight With 10 or More:
Santa Clara’s win over LMU gave the Broncos their 10th in conference play, setting a new program record for consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins (4).
2021-22 10-5
2022-23 11-5
2023-24 10-6
2024-25 12-6
The Broncos’ 12 conference wins are the most of the Herb Sendek Era and tied for the second-most in program history. The last time SCU had 12 conference wins was in 1994-95 when Dick Davey guided the Broncos to a 12-2 record and the regular-season WCC title.
Fantastic February +1:
Santa Clara closed the regular season with a 6-2 record over their last eight games in February and on March 1st. The Broncos averaged 86.9 ppg while holding opponents to just 67.9 ppg while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 44.5 percent from beyond the arc. SCU averaged 13.0 treys per game while limiting opponents to just 28.3 percent from 3-point range. The Broncos also also outrebounded opponents 38.3 to 30.6 and held them to just 40.5 percent shooting from the field.
Five in Double Figures:
The Broncos are one of three teams in the WCC to have five or more players averaging double figures in scoring (Gonzaga, Washington State). Adama-Alpha Bal leads the way with 12.9 ppg (18th in WCC). Christoph Tilly is second on the team with 12.3 ppg (21st in WCC), Carlos Stewart Jr. is third on the team with 12.1 ppg (23rd in WCC), Elijah Mahi is fourth on the team with 11.1 ppg (28th in WCC), and Tyeree Bryan rounds out the pack with 10.3 ppg (34th in WCC).
All-WCC Accolades:
Santa Clara had three players earn All-WCC honors with Adama-Alpha Bal repeating as a first team pick and Carlos Stewart Jr. and Christoph Tilly earning second team honors. This is the fifth-consecutive season that SCU has put at least one player on the first team, their longest such streak since 2004-05 through 2008-09. It is also the fourth-straight season that SCU has had at least three players honored.
The Streak Continues:
Santa Clara has clinched a winning season to extend their streak to seven-straight. It is their longest such streak since 1956-57 through 1962-63 (7) and tied for the second-longest in program history behind a 10-year stretch from 1933-34 through 1942-43 (although they played an average of only 19 games per season).
Speaking of Winning:
Santa Clara is in the midst of one of their best stretches in program history. The Broncos have 84 wins in the last four years (this season included), which is the second-most in a four-year span in program history, second only to an 85-win stretch from 1966-67 through 1969-70.
Stretching the streak back to the last six years, the Broncos have won 116 games - the second-most wins in a six year span in program history. The feat is all the more impressive when you factor in that one of those seasons was the Covid-shortened 2020-21 campaign which was limited to just 20 games total and SCU went 12-8.
119 wins from 1967-68 through 1972-73
117 wins from 2019-20 through 2024-25
115 wins from 1964-65 through 1969-70
High Scoring Broncos:
Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC with 81.9 points per game behind Gonzaga (86.7). That mark ranks 20th nationally in NCAA D1.
The Broncos have fared even better in league play with an average of 82.9 ppg, also second behind Gonzaga’s 87.9 ppg average.
Historically Good on Offense:
Santa Clara’s 81.9 ppg average is currently top-5 in program history and the best of the Herb Sendek Era (since 2016-17).
1. 83.7 (1969-70)
2. 83.1 (1967-68)
83.1 (1978-79)
4. 82.3 (1966-67)
5. 81.9 (2024-25)
6. 81.3 (1972-73)
Three Pt Shooting:
Santa Clara leads the WCC and is 5th nationally in 3-pointers per game (11.0). They also rank 15th nationally at 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The Broncos have hit 10 or more treys in 23 games - the most in program history - and are 18-5
when doing so. SCU has also set the program record with five games of 15 or more with 15 against Pepperdine, 16 at Portland, 16 last outing vs. Uc Riverside, 18 on the road against Gonzaga and, of course, a program-record 23 at Washington State.
Santa Clara fared even better in league play where they led the conference in both 3-point percentage (40.0) and per game (11.7)
Dishing it Out:
Santa Clara ranks 22nd nationally and third in the WCC in assists with an average of 16.8 per game. The Broncos tallied 31 assists against South Dakota, which ranks the third-most in program history, and the most since Feb. 16, 2017 when the Broncos dished out 32 against Pepperdine.
History From Downtown:
Santa Clara has shattered the school record for 3-point field goals in a season (347), besting the previous record of 318 set in 2016-17 (Herb Sendek’s first season). The broke the WCC record of 249 set by San Francisco in 2022-23 last game, hitting 16 threes to improve their season total to 363.
1. 363 2024-25
2. 318 2016-17
3. 303 2012-13
4. 275 2022-23
5. 273 2010-11
Santa Clara also shattered their own WCC record of 3-pointers in conference play, finishing with 210. The previous record was set by the Broncos in 2016-17 (180).
90’s or Better:
Santa Clara has tallied a program-record 11 games in which they have scored 90 points or more.
No. of games with 90+ points:
12- 2024-25
10 - 1969-70
8 - 1966-67, 1967-68, 1978-79
Shooting Above 50%:
Santa Clara has shot 50 percent or better in 14 games this season and are 12-2 in such games.
UC Riverside 58.3 – W
Kennesaw State 50.0 – W
South Dakota 52.7 – W
Pepperdine 50.7 – W
at USF 50.8 – L
USF 51.7 – W
at Gonzaga 53.7 – W
at Oregon State 51.0 – L
Pacific 55.4 – W
at Portland 51.5 – W
San Diego 58.2 – W
at Washington State 54.2 – W
at Pacific 50.7 – W
UC Riverside (NIT) 60.7 – W
WCC Players of the Week:
Two Broncos have earned WCC Player of the Week honors this season.
Tyeree Bryan’s sensational 35-point performance against the Bulldogs earned him WCC Co-Player of the Week honors - the first weekly award of the season for a Bronco and the first since Carlos Marshall, Jr. earned POTW honors following the opening week of play in 2023-24. He was also named one of the five honorees for the Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week Award. He is the first Bronco to ever be honored since the award’s inception in 2009-10.
Elijah Mahi became the second Bronco to win the award for the week of Feb. 10 after an outstanding two-game stand against Portland and San Diego where he averaged 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 blocks. The Toronto native tallied the first double-double of his career at Portland with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and then followed up with a career-high 28 points and seven assists to go with six rebounds against San Diego. Mahi shot 66.7 percent from the field and 80 percent from 3-point range over the two games.
Second Half Surge:
Santa Clara’s offense has come alive in the second half throughout the year. Here’s the numbers of the first and second halves:
1st Half 2nd Half
FG % 45.5 48.8
3PT % 38.6 38.9
PPG 39.1 41.9
The Broncos have been especially efficient in the second half in two of their biggest wins of the
season. SCU scored 59 points at Gonzaga and 56 points at home against San Francisco. In both of those games, an individual scored 20 or more points with Adama-Alpha Bal dropping 20 at Gonzaga and Carlos Stewart Jr. exploding for 25 points against USF.
Off the Bench:
Santa Clara is averaging 28.6 points from their bench players, which leads the WCC and 28th nationally.
20 Pt Scorers:
Carlos Stewart Jr. leads the team with six 20-point outings while Christoph Tilly, Adama-Alpha Bal and Elijah Mahi are right behind him with four.
3 Pt Defense:
Not only do the Broncos fare well offensively from beyond the arc, they have also played sound
defense around the perimeter, especially in conference play. Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC in 3-point defense, allowing league opponents to shoot just 29.4 percent. The Broncos have held five opponents under 25 percent from beyond the arc.
at San Diego 5-22 .227
Oregon State 6-25 .240
USF 6-32 .188
at LMU 3-18 .167
at Portland 7-32 .219
at Pacific 3-19 .158
On the Boards:
Santa Clara has won the rebound battle in 22 of their 33 games, and are 18-3 when doing so. The Broncos are averaging 37.7 boards per game, good for third in the WCC and 54th nationally. SCU has been especially efficient on the defensive glass with an average of 26.5 per game (2nd in WCC) and rank 42nd nationally in rebound margin (+4.8).
Terrific Tyeree:
Tyeree Bryan has been a standout all season but has really played strong at the end of the season. Over the last five games, the senior is averaging 14.8 ppg on 56.8 percent shooting, including a 63.3 percent mark from 3-point range (19-of-30). He has hit four or more treys in four of the five outings and has led the team in scoring against Gonzaga (18), Pepperdine (18) and UC Riverside (17).
Mahi Making Moves:
Elijah Mahi has made the most of his opportunities in his first season with the program and is
currently fourth on the team in scoring at 11.0 ppg. Mahi has 15 double figure scoring outings on the year and is tied for second with four 20-point games.
Bal Repeats as First Team All-WCC:
Adama-Alpha Bal’s decision to return for his final year of eligibility proved to be a good one as the Le Mans, France product made the league’s All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive season. Bal leads the Broncos and is ranked 18th in the WCC in scoring at 12.9 ppg and is second in the league with 2.3 3-pointers per contest. He is also the team-leader in assists (3.0) and has totaled a team-high 22 double figure scoring outings.
Tilly Time:
Junior Christoph Tilly earned a spot on the WCC’s All-Conference Second Team after an honorable mention selection as a sophomore. The big man from Berlin is averaging 12.2 points per game overall and scored 12.5 ppg in league play. He has shot a team-high 55 percent from the field and is tied for the second-most double figure scoring games on the team with 20 on the year. Tilly also has a pair of double-doubles this season (both the firsts of his career), including his most recent outing at Pacific where he pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds to go with 21 points.
Los Balling Out:
Carlos Stewart Jr. was also named to the WCC’s All-Conference Second Team, making him a two-time All-WCC performer after earning First Team honors as a sophomore. The senior led the Broncos in scoring in league play at 13.2 ppg and is tied with Tilly for second-most overall (12.2). Stewart leads the team in steals (1.2) and has more 20-point outings than anyone else on the roster with six as part of 20 total double figure scoring games. His best performance of the year was a masterful second half at home against San Francisco in which he scored 25 points on 5-of-8 3-point shooting to help take down the Dons.
Against Top-25 Programs:
Santa Clara’s win over No. 16 Gonzaga was their third win over a top 25 team in the AP Poll over the last four seasons. Prior to that, you had to go all the way back to Nov. 19, 2004 to find SCU’s last ranked win.
Feb. 8, 2022 Santa Clara 77, (22) Saint Mary’s 72
Jan. 11, 2024 Santa Clara 77, (21) Gonzaga 76
Jan. 18, 2025 Santa Clara 103, (16) Gonzaga 99
The win in Spokane was Santa Clara’s first against a ranked team on the road since Dec. 4, 1993
when Steve Nash and company took down Jason Kidd and the Cal Golden Bears, 80-67. While
historically considered a road game, the game itself took place away from Cal’s usual home base of Harmon Gym (now Haas Pavilion) and was played in nearby Oakland Coliseum. The last time Santa Clara defeated a team in their home gym was Dec. 2, 1972 against BYU in Provo, Utah.
Big Time Ty:
Tyeree Bryan’s 35-point performance is one that will go down as one of the all-time greats in Bronco History. The Orlando native knocked down 7-of-12 from beyond the arc (tied for the third-most in program history) and was 13-of-21 overall (48.1). He also pulled down seven rebounds, dished out four assists and had a pair of steals. Bryan’s 35 points are tied for the second-most ever scored by an opposing player inside the Kennel, and is the most by a Bronco since Brandin Podziemski scored 38 against Pacific Jan. 28, 2023.
Rising Up in the Ranks:
Herb Sendek has the 52nd most wins in NCAA D1 history (574), moving ahead of John Beilein with the win over Washington State. He needs just seven more to tie Mike Brey for 51st
Sustained success:
The Broncos have won 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons and five if you exclude the 2020-21 covid season.
Sendek’s Success:
Santa Clara has thrived under the direction of ninth-year head coach Herb Sendek. A look at the
numbers says it all:
- Back-to-back postseason bids in 2021-22 and 2022-23 (NIT) for first time since 1994-95 and 1995-96.
- Six consecutive winning seasons entering 2024-25 - longest stretch in program history since 1979-80 through 1984-85.
- 65 wins from 2021-22 through 2023-24 - most in a three-year stretch since ‘67-68 through ‘69-70.
- 85 wins in the last four seasons - tied for most in a four-year stretch since ‘66-67 through ‘69-70 (85).
- 117 wins in the last six seasons - the second-most in a six-year stretch in program history.
- Excluding the 2020-21 Covid year, SCU has won 20 or more games in five-straight seasons dating back to 2019-20 - the longest streak in program history.
- Finished inside the top four of the WCC standings in each of the last four years - longest stretch since 1995-2002.
Bal Back:
After flirting with the NBA Draft, Adama-Alpha Bal is back for one more season and looking to build off the success he built as a first team All-WCC performer in year one. Bal has been as advertised, leading the team and ranking 14th in the WCC in scoring (13.6) and is tied for the team lead with three 20-point outings. Bal opened the season 24 points vs. Saint Louis turned in a season-best 27 points against Bradley and most recently had 20 points in the win over South Dakota and Gonzaga.
Familiar Faces:
In addition to Bal, who was a First Team All-WCC selection last year, the Broncos brought back six other key rotation pieces. Among them, All-WCC Honorable Mention last season Christoph Tilly, and All-WCC Freshman Team selection sophomore forward Jake Ensminger. In addition, the Broncos return senior forward Johnny O’Neil, senior guard Tyeree Bryan, junior guard Brenton Knapper, and senior forward Camaron Tongue, all key rotation pieces for the Broncos last season. The Broncos returned four of their five starters and 72.8 percent of their scoring from 2023-24.
Added Experience:
The Broncos also bring back senior guard and former Bronco standout Carlos Stewart Jr. As a sophomore at Santa Clara, Stewart Jr. was a First Team All-WCC selection, avg.15.2 ppg. The Broncos also added West Valley College transfer Elijah Mahi, who joins the Broncos after leading West Valley College to an undefeated 33-0 season in 2023-24, capturing the state championship title, and being named California Player of the Year and winning MVP in the state tournament.
Bayou Boys:
Santa Clara has not one, but two Gatorade Louisiana Basketball Player of Year winners on the roster - Stewart (2020-21) and freshman Allen Graves (2023-24).
Preseason Poll:
The Broncos were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason poll, while Bal and Stewart Jr. were named to the Preseason First Team All-WCC.
Former Bronco Named 2025 All-Star:
Former Bronco Jalen Williams was recently named a 2025 NBA All-Star, becoming just the third Santa Clara product to earn an invite to the prestigious event and joining eight-time selection Steve Nash and two-time pick Ken Sears. Williams was the lone player from the WCC selected to this year’s event.
Pipeline to the Pros:
There are just five NCAA D1 men’s basketball programs that produced top-20 picks in the 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts: Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Baylor.....and Santa Clara.
The Broncos have produced back-to-back first round selections in the form of Jalen Williams (12th overall to Oklahoma City in 2022) and Brandin Podziemski (19th overall to Golden State in 2023). Additionally, former Bronco forward Keshawn Justice was signed by the Utah Jazz in October 2023 and is currently a member of the Salt Lake Jazz.
After becoming the first Bronco to hear his name called in the NBA Draft since Steve Nash in 1996, Williams more than lived up to his lottery pick hype, finishing runner-up in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and was named to the 2023 Rising Stars Challenge. He was even better in year two, averaging 19.1 ppg while starting 71 games and was once again voted to the Rising Stars Challenge.
Podziemski was the first WCC player taken off the board in 2023 and also turned in a fantastic rookie season, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and being named to the Rising Stars Challenge. Podz became the first Golden State rookie since Stephen Curry (2009-10) to tally 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five or more in a single game, doing so on Dec. 12 against the Phoenix Suns.
Both Williams and Podziemski were also named to the USA Select Team in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
