A quick look at the numbers for Santa Clara men's basketball reveals that this has been a great season. The Broncos are 21-11 with their most victories in nearly a decade (2012-13), they finished third in the WCC standings for their highest finish since 2006-07 and they were 10-5 in league play for their most conference wins since 2016-17. Those are the numbers that the casual observer will notice and recognize 2021-22 as a great overall season.
But if you were to look deeper into the numbers, past the overall record and final standings, you would discover that this season has been so much more than just a "great" season. It has been a phenomenal one, and better yet, it is one that is deserving of extended life in a postseason tournament. Head Coach Herb Sendek certainly believes that.
"I absolutely think this team is deserving of a tournament bid," Sendek said. "When you look at all the things that this special group of players have accomplished, it's really a no-brainer, in my opinion. We have consistently been one of the best shooting teams in the nation this year, have posted 21 wins, and have done all of that despite not having one of our best players available through the bulk of nonconference play."
Let's take it back to the beginning. The Broncos opened the year with five-straight victories that included blowout wins over Stanford (88-72), Nevada (96-74) and Texas Christian (85-66 on a neutral court), who is currently No. 43 in the NET Rankings. All the more impressive is that the win over TCU was without the help of four-time All-WCC selection Josip Vrankic, who opened the season with 29 points against Cal State Fullerton and dished out a career-high eight assists to go with 16 points against Stanford. Vrankic was diagnosed with mononucleosis prior to the Broncos' fourth game of the season, against Cal Poly, and would go on to miss eight games with the illness.
While Santa Clara was able to get by TCU without Vrankic, the lack of the big man's presence quickly caught up to them and took its toll. The Broncos would go on to lose four of the last six games without Vrankic available, albeit by just a combined 27 points.
Vs. Fresno State – 59-52
UC Irvine – 69-64
Louisiana Tech – 78-75
At Cal – 72-60
Certainly Vrankic's 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season could have helped out in those four losses. In fact, when the Toronto, Canada product was healthy, the Broncos were 17-7 with an undefeated record against Quad 2 (1-0) and Quad 3 (6-0) opponents. One of those losses came on the road against Mountain West regular-season champion Boise State, which was Vrankic's first game back from mono in which he was under a medically-mandated minutes restriction. Despite his limited 23 minutes of action, he still tied for the team-lead of 12 points.
But moving away from the dreaded game of "what if" in regards to having a healthy Vrankic for all 32 games, it should not be understated just how impressive of a season the Broncos have been able to piece together. Santa Clara's shooting percentages have been off the charts, ranking in the top-seven nationally in both field goal percentage (6th with 49.0) and 3-point field goal percentage (7th at 38.8). The Broncos are one of just five teams in the nation that is shooting that efficiently from both.
Numbers don't lie
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) March 10, 2022
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That 38.8 percent clip from beyond the arc is the best in the WCC this season and ranks as the second-best in program history, as does the Broncos' 76.2 shooting percentage from the charity stripe.
The Broncos are the only team in the WCC with four players averaging 12.0 points per game or better, and had 20 games in which at least four players finished with 10 or more points.
One school record has already fallen thanks to that high scoring total. Santa Clara's 932 total field goals are their most in program history.
"They are a lot of fun to watch," Sendek said of his team's shooting abilities. "Game by game we have seen some terrific shooting performances from the team as a whole and a lot of stand-out performances from the individuals. I mean, Jalen Williams, what more can you say about what he has done this season? He led the league in scoring, had 12 games with 20 or more points and was, deservedly, a first team all-conference selection. But it's definitely not just him that has impressed. Guys like Josip Vrankic, PJ Pipes and Keshawn Justice are just a handful on this team that have really put on some impressive individual performances this year."
Speaking of Williams, you might not find a more efficient player in all of college basketball than the junior guard from Gilbert, Ariz. After averaging 11.5 points as a sophomore, the 6-foot-6 Perry High School product saw his point production bump 6.5 points per game this season as he led the league in scoring at 18.0 ppg en route to earning a spot on the All-WCC First Team.
Williams is the only player at the NCAA Division I level that is averaging 18.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 56 percent from 2-pt range and 41 percent from beyond the arc. Those ridiculously efficient numbers have not gone unnoticed on the national scale.
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— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) March 11, 2022
In addition to Williams, Vrankic also earned a first team All-WCC nod after finishing fourth in the WCC with 15.4 ppg, his second-straight first team honor and fourth overall all-conference accolade in five seasons. It is the first time since 2012-13 that Santa Clara has had multiple first team members. Keshawn Justice, who led the team with 6.8 rebounds per game and ranks third in the WCC with 2.3 3-pt field goals per game, earned a spot on the All-WCC Second Team.
But while postseason accolades are certainly something to celebrate, the one stat that towers over all the others is how high the number is in the total wins column. Of Santa Clara's 21 victories, one in particular might go down as the definitive one of the season. That, of course, was the Broncos' 77-72 victory over then No. 22 Saint Mary's at home on ESPNU. The victory was Santa Clara's first over a ranked opponent since 2004 (77-66 over No. 4 North Carolina), breaking a streak of 43-straight losses.
Santa Clara beats #22 Saint Mary's 77-72. First win for @SantaClaraHoops over a ranked opponent since Nov 2004 (#4 UNC) ending 43-gm losing streak vs ranked teams
— Jack Benjamin (@JackBenjaminPxP) February 9, 2022
Broncos are 17-8, 7-3 in sole 3rd in @WCChoops (won 6 of 7)
A court storming in Leavey. What a night@mid_madness pic.twitter.com/n0E6ILYrMR
That victory, as with all others, is a product of what Coach Sendek has been building since he first took over the helm back in 2016-17. With 21 victories on the season, the Broncos now have reached the 20-win total twice in a span of three years – their first time doing that since 2010-11 through 2012-13. Additionally, they now have four-straight winning seasons, the most since Dick Davey led SCU to seven-straight from 1994-95 through 2000-01.
But now the Broncos will play the waiting game. After advancing to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament for the first time since 2016-17, Sendek's squad will have to see if it was enough to earn a bid to a postseason tournament. If they do, it will be a long-time coming for the Broncos, who haven't played in the NCAA Tournament since 1996 and haven't made an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) since 1989.
"I can't express just how proud I am of this group of young men for all they've done this season," Sendek said. "They have played their hearts out, overcame adversity time and time again, and at the end of the day, I think they have shown the country that they should be considered among the best in the nation. We are excited, and hopeful, for the possibility of them getting to play a little longer in the postseason."
The Broncos will discover their postseason fate on Sunday evening. The 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on CBS at 3 p.m. PT with the selection show for the NIT airing on ESPNU at 6:00 p.m. PT.
