Santa Clara-Arizona Game Notes
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara will play its third-straight game away from home when it faces No. 11/10 Arizona (4-0) on Thanksgiving Day (8:30 PST/ESPN2) in bracket play of the DIRECTV Wooden Legacy. The first two rounds of the three-day tournament will be played at Cal State Fullerton.
The Broncos (0-5) will meet either Providence or Evansville Friday (6 or 8:30 p.m.) in the following round.
After an off day, the eight-team tournament concludes Sunday at Honda Center in Anaheim. Michigan State, Boston College, Boise State and UC Irvine are on the other side of the bracket, with the Broncos facing one of those teams on the final day.
SANTA CLARA (0-5) vs. No. 11/10 Arizona (4-0)
Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015 • Titan Gym (4,000) • 8:30 p.m. PST
TV: ESPN2 - Roxy Bernstein (play by play), Sean Farnham (color), Jeff Goodman (sidelines)
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/
Santa Clara was knocked off at UC Irvine, 79-61, Monday after falling behind early. The Broncos suffered through a cold shooting night, connecting on only 25 percent from the floor, and the Anteaters hit 48 percent in the opening half when they led by more than 20 points. Santa Clara closed to within 67-52 with four minutes to go in the game, but junior guard Luke Nelson, who had a game-high 20 points for UC Irvine, nailed a key 3-pointer from the wing and the Broncos could not cut the margin below 14 the rest of the way against a seasoned UC Irvine squad that lost to Louisville by two points in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament.
"We just kept fighting," head coach Kerry Keating. "I loved the effort that they made to come back and show the type of character they have."
The team has remained in Southern California to prepare for the remainder of the tournament, facing a stiff challenge from Arizona.
"It's an unbelievable opportunity for us Thursday night and we'll be ready to go," Keating said.
Quick Hits...
• The Broncos, led by ninth-year head coach Kerry Keating, return six of their top eight scorers from a year ago, including junior guard Jared Brownridge (15.9 ppg), sophomore forward Matt Hubbard (6.8 ppg) and junior forward Nate Kratch (5.2 ppg). Hubbard (4.6 pg) and Kratch (4.6) are also the top returning rebounders. Brownridge led the team in scoring and ranked sixth in the West Coast Conference in both points per game and 3-point FG percentage (43.3). He was also fourth in the WCC in free-throw percentage (86.2).
• Despite playing just two seasons, Brownridge already ranks seventh in school history with 194 career 3-pointers made and 27th in scoring (1,153 points). In addition, his career scoring average (16.5 ppg) ranks No. 6 on the Broncos all-time chart and his career 3-point field-goal percentage (42.0) is tops in school history. Brownridge, however, has struggled from the floor in the early going this season, connecting on only 28 percent, including 23 percent from beyond the 3-point line. He still leads the team in scoring (15.4 ppg) and is averaging a career-high 4.8 rebounds a game. In addition, he has turned the ball over just seven times on the year, despite averaging 34.8 minutes a game while being the focal point of the offense. He also missed a considerable amount of preseason practice time.
• The 6-foot-8 Kratch has been the main target inside and top rebounder for the Broncos. He leads the team with 10.0 rebounds per contest and ranks third in scoring (8.4 ppg). He has produced double-digit rebounds in each of the last two games, eclipsing his previous career high each time (12 vs. UC Riverside; 14 vs. UC Irvine). Kratch ranks third in the West Coast Conference in rebounding and his 18 offensive boards lead the league.
• Santa Clara had three players start all 32 games last year, but only Brownridge remains. Guard Brandon Clark was the second-leading scorer (15.8 ppg). He accounted for 26 percent of the team's shot attempts and ended his career 13th on the school's all-time scoring list (1,549) and 10th in assists (410). Guard Denzel Johnson averaged 8.7 points per game, third on the team. The Broncos return a combined 92 starts from 2014-15.
Kratch Attacking the Glass...
Junior forward Nate Kratch, the team's leading returning rebounder, has provided an inside presence in the Broncos first five games, especially in his last two outings. Kratch has led the team in rebounding all five games, including a career-high 14 boards vs. UC Irvine. He also posted a career-high 22 points and then career-best 12 rebounds four days earlier vs. UC Riverside for his first career double-double. Kratch, who is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game, had Santa Clara's first double-double since Matt Hubbard had 12 points and 11 rebounds vs. San Diego on Jan. 3, 2015. Unfortunately, Kratch has been saddled with foul trouble at various points or his average per game would be higher He is averaging 16.1 rebounds per 40 minutes of action, helping Santa Clara win the battle on the glass vs. Lipscomb and Milwaukee.
New Additions...
Head coach Kerry Keating and his staff are attempting to mesh seven returners with seven newcomers. The first-year players include guards KJ Feagin, Matt Hauser, Werner Nistler and Brendyn Taylor, as well as forwards Henrik Jadersten, Tony Lewis and Bryson Lockley. Feagin, Hauser, Jadersten, Lewis and Lockley are all true freshman. Taylor is a junior transfer from USC and Nistler, who joined the team in the offseason, is the lone senior on the squad.
Preseason Injuries Slow Continuity...
In the early part of the year, the Broncos are attempting to mesh a number of players who missed significant time during the preseason. The team, which added seven newcomers in the offseason and returns three starters, opened practice on Oct. 2 and was without leading scorer Jared Brownridge, who was out of action from Sept. 21 through Oct. 27. The junior was unable to participate in conditioning drills and the first 21 practices due to a pelvic injury. He returned just more than a week before Santa Clara's lone exhibition game. Freshman forward Henrik Jadersten also suffered an ankle injury just days into the preseason and missed 18 practices before returning on Nov. 1. The sharp-shooting Swede has averaged just 8.3 minutes per contest in the first four games. The Broncos were also without sophomore guard Evan Wardlow was out of action for 15 practices (Oct. 6-27) with a knee injury. In addition, sophomore forward Jarvis Pugh missed five practices and freshman guard KJ Feagin was out for four in the preseason. Freshman forward Tony Lewis has been out of action since the summer with a lower leg injury.
Scouting the Wildcats...
Arizona, ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press poll and No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches, has won its first four games of the season and has three players scoring in double figures led by senior guard Gabe York (16.0 ppg) and senior forward Ryan Anderson (13.7). The 6-foot-9 Anderson is also leading the team with 10.3 rebounds a game for a team which has seven players averaging 20 or more minutes a contest. Freshman guard Allonzo Trier is averaging 13.3 ppg, while Kadeem Allen is the top assist producer at 4.8 per contest. The Wildcats have a plus-14 rebounding margin this season and are shooting 46 percent from the field.
The Santa Clara-Arizona Series...
The Broncos and Wildcats have faced each other 10 times, but this is the first meeting since the 2010 Las Vegas Classic. Arizona, which holds a 6-4 series lead, downed Santa Clara 82-59 on Nov. 26, 2010. The teams met two years earlier, in Kerry Keating's second season, with the Wildcats edging the Broncos, 69-66, in the 2008 Preseason NIT (Nov. 25). The Broncos last win in a series that dates to 1936 came in one of the most memorable games in NCAA tournament history. Pete Eisenrich had 19 points and eight rebounds, and DeWayne Lewis added 13 points to help lead No. 15 seed Santa Clara to a 64-61 upset against second-seeded and No. 5-ranked Arizona in the opening round of 1993 NCAA tournament in Salt Lake City Utah. Steve Nash, then a freshman, had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.