When you've dropped 13 games already, there's no such thing as an easy matchup in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky kicks off their tournament run on Friday at 12:15 p.m. in St. Louis against Santa Clara, guided by Herb Sendek, a former assistant to Rick Pitino.
Santa Clara, boasting a 26-8 record, packs a punch with a top-25 offense. They’re sinking 10.1 threes per game, ranking 29th nationally, and they’re not shy about it, taking 29.2 attempts from beyond the arc each contest. Defensively, they force 14 turnovers per game, holding a turnover margin of 3.2, putting them in the top 25 in those categories.
Kentucky might be the favorite according to the oddsmakers, but just barely, with a slim 2-3 point edge depending on where you look.
Santa Clara made it to the WCC Tournament title game before falling to No. 1 seed Gonzaga, 79-68. Remember, that’s the same Gonzaga that thrashed Kentucky by 35 points back in December.
In that matchup, some UK fans even booed coach Mark Pope’s squad. Notably, Santa Clara led Gonzaga for 23 minutes-a feat Kentucky couldn’t match.
Despite a third loss to Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, Kentucky remains upbeat about their NCAA prospects. Sophomore Collin Chandler expressed confidence, saying, “Our expectations are the highest they can be.
We know where we are.” After the Florida loss, he told Kentucky Sports Radio, “We can compete with anybody.”
Kentucky's resume includes impressive wins over Tennessee (twice), Arkansas, St. John’s, and Vanderbilt, all top seeds, with Tennessee being a six seed. This strong showing left Kentucky just shy of a six seed, landing them at No. 25 overall in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s rankings.
Should Kentucky get past Santa Clara, they’ll face the winner of No. 2 seed Iowa State and No. 15 seed Tennessee State. The path to the Elite Eight likely runs through a matchup with either No. 3 seed Virginia or No. 6 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16. The Midwest Region is topped by Michigan as the No. 1 seed, with Alabama, Texas Tech, and Georgia rounding out the top eight seeds.
This marks Santa Clara's first NCAA appearance since 1996, back when future NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash was leading the charge. Nash's Broncos made it to the tournament three consecutive years.
Santa Clara’s Allen Graves is a name to watch. The 6-foot-9 forward is one of 25 finalists for the prestigious Kyle Macy Award, recognizing the top freshman in Division I college basketball. Graves snagged First Team All-WCC honors and took home both WCC Freshman and Sixth Man of the Year awards.
Graves is averaging 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He’s hit double figures 25 times this season, including a standout 30-point, 14-rebound performance against Washington State on February 7. Shooting 51 percent from the field and nailing 41.6 percent of his threes, Graves is a formidable presence on the court.