SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s basketball (7-1) will host Utah Tech (5-5) on Wednesday evening in what will be the Broncos’ lone home game during the month of December. The game is set for a 7:00 p.m. PT tip and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with the usual duo Anthony Passarelli and Henry Caruso on the call.
The Broncos will honor alum Jalen Williams at halftime with the official retirement of his Santa Clara No. 24 jersey. It will be the eighth men’s basketball jersey hanging in the rafters of the Leavey Center joining Steve Nash, Dennis Awtrey, Kurt Rambis, Bud Ogden, Bob Feerick, Nick Vanos and Ken Sears. The ceremony is set to begin immediately following both teams clearing the floor for halftime.
THE OPPONENT
Utah Tech is 5-5 on the season and coming off a 77-69 victory over UC Riverside. Led by longtime head coach Jon Judkins, the Trailblazers are averaging 77.8 points offensively while allowing just 72.5 on the defensive end. They have locked down well around the perimeter, allowing opponents to connect on just 27.7 percent from beyond the arc (32nd in NCAA). Senior forward Ethan Potter is the reigning WAC Player of the Week after averaging 22 points per game against Portland State and Riverside. He is one of three Trailblazers averaging double figure scoring at 16.9 points and also leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 per outing.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UTAH TECH
Santa Clara and Utah Tech met inside the Leavey Center for the 2023-24 season-opener in the first-ever meeting between the programs. That night saw five Broncos score in double figures, led by 22 from Carlos Marshall, Jr., in a 77-69 SCU victory.
IN THE NET
Santa Clara debuted at No. 32 in the initial NET Rankings (12/1) and currently sit at No. 36. They are one of three WCC teams that find themselves inside the top 40 of the rankings.
LAST TIME OUT
A day after suffering their first setback of the season, Santa Clara shook it off to take care of business against Minnesota in the Acrisure Invitational consolation game. The Broncos led by as much as 31 in the second half before a late Gopher run made it an 11-point affair at 86-75 at the final buzzer. The Broncos shot above 50 percent for the third time this season and knocked down a season-high 16 treys. Six players reached double figure scoring led by 20 from Christian Hammond, and all nine Broncos that saw the floor finished with at least three points.
OFF TO A HOT START
Santa Clara is 7-1 for the second time in the last three seasons (2023-24) and is looking for their first 8-1 start since 2019-20. The Broncos were 12-2 in nonconference play to open the year that season – the first under the direction of Herb Sendek.
RAINING THREES AGAIN
Santa Clara set a WCC record with 368 made 3-pointers last season and have continued to put up a high volume of attempts from beyond the arc this season (27.6 per game). The Broncos have made 10 or more treys four times this season and are coming off their best 3-point shooting night of the young season against Minnesota. SCU was 16-for-31 (51.6) – their most makes of the year and most since also knocking down 16 against UC Riverside in the NIT last season.
MORE BLOCKS THAN A SPAM CALLER
Santa Clara is off to a tremendous start when it comes to protecting the rim. The Broncos are averaging 6.4 blocks per game, which leads the WCC and ranks eighth nationally.
SCU logged 11 blocks in consecutive games at Xavier and against Nevada, which is tied for the third-most in program history. The performance at Xavier is tied for their most-ever in a road game.
Both totals are SCU’s most since tallying 13 in 2005 against UC Riverside.
HAMMOND MAKING NOISE
Christian Hammond is off to an outstanding start in his new starting role after redshirting last season. The Denver native leads the team and is tied for sixth in the WCC in scoring at 16.6 ppg and has logged 10 or more points in each outing. In the win over Nevada, he knocked down 11-of-17 attempts for a career-high 27 points. Hammond turned in his second 20-point game of the year in the win over
Minnesota, turning in 18 in the first half alone.
RECEIVING VOTES
Santa Clara received three votes in the Nov. 24th AP Top 25 Poll. The Broncos have not been ranked inside the Top 25 since the 1995-96 season when they reached as high as No. 22 in the poll.
DEFENSE PUTTING IN THE WORK
SCU is allowing just 64.4 points per game, good for 29th fewest in the nation and second in the WCC. The Broncos are allowing opponents to connect on just 38.7 percent of their attempts – 44th in NCAA D1.
Santa Clara leads the WCC and ranks 33rd nationally in 3-point defense, allowing just 27.7 percent.
CLEANING UP THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Santa Clara is averaging 14.7 offensive rebounds per game, good for 29th nationally.
