SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball's 2022-23 season continues! The Broncos are set to take part in their second-straight National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and will begin by hosting the opening round on Wednesday, March 15, against Sam Houston of the Western Athletic Conference. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. PT tip and will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required). 

THE MATCHUP
Santa Clara (23-9, 11-5 WCC) vs. Sam Houston (25-7, 14-4 WAC)

SERIES HISTORY
Sam Houston leads 1-0

GAME INFO

When: Wednesday, March 15, • 6pm PT
Where: Santa Clara, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+ (subscription required)
Audio:  KDOW 1220 AM
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Game Notes: Santa Clara | Sam Houston

NOTES

• Santa Clara is making their sixth appearance in the NIT. It is the first time SCU has played in back-to-back postseason tournaments since 1995 and 1996 when the Broncos played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

• The Broncos are 23-9. All 23 wins came in the regular season - their most since 1968-69.

• At 11-5, SCU also had their most conference wins since 1994-95.

• SCU finished third in the WCC Standings for the second consecutive season. It's the first time they've done that since 2000-01 and 2001-02.

• The Broncos closed the regular season on a 7-game win streak, their longest in conference play since 1994-95.

• Three Broncos earned a spot on the All-WCC Team. Brandin Podziemski and Carlos Stewart are first team members and Keshawn Justice is a second team pick for the second-straight year.

• Podziemski was named WCC Co-Player of the Year. First bronco to win the award since John Bryant (2008-09)

• Podz was also named WCC Newcomer of the Year becoming the first Bronco since Jared Brownridge (2013-14) to win the award. He also earned First Team NABC All-Section and USBWA All-Section honors.

• Podziemski set a program record with four WCC Player of the Week honors.

• Podziemski leads the league in rebounding (8.8) and is third in scoring at 19.9 ppg. He's one of just three players in NCAA D1 that is averaging 19/8/3.
• Podziemski has tallied 13 double-doubles on the year, including the last five games, to lead the WCC. It's the most by a Bronco since John Bryant's 15 in 2008-09.
• Podziemski ranks eighth nationally in 3-point shoting (43.6 percent).
• The Broncos tallied their third 20-win season in a span of four years for the first time since 1981-82 through 1984-85. 
• SCU has scored the fifth-most points in program history as a team (2,482).
• Carlso Stewart is second on the team with 11 20-point games and ranks ninth in the WCC with an average of 15.3 ppg.
• Keshawn Justice leads the WCC in 3pt attempts (246) and per game (2.91). He's second with 93 treys made.
• Justice is 13th on the school's all-time scoring list and needs 16 points to move up to 12th.
• Head Coach Herb Sendek is tied for the 60th most wins in NCAA D1 history with 533 victories.
• Sam Houston is enjoying one of their most successful seasons in program history in 2022-23. The Bearkats set a new program record with 24 regular-season wins and are 25-7 overall. They were the No. 1 overall seed in the WAC Tournament and fell in the semifinals to eventul champion GCU. Led by 13th-year head coach Jason Hooten, the Bearkats rank among the best in the nation in a number of categories - 4th in scoring defense (58.8 ppg allowed) and scoring margin (+14.3), 5th in FG percentage defense (38.7), 8th in bench points per game (28.6), 10th in forced turnovers per game (16.7), 12th in rebound margin (+6.6), 14th in 3-point percentage (38.5) and 18th in turnover margin (+3.5). A total of four players earned All-WAC recognition with Qua Grant being named the WAC Player of the Year.
• This will be just the second-ever meeting on the hardwood between the Broncos and Bearkats. The first meeting was on Nov. 25, 2017 at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage in a game Sam Houston won 73-59. 

Full game notes for both teams are available in the links above.

HOW TO WATCH
Wednesday's game will be streamed live via the ESPN+ network. Drew Carter (play-by-play) and Adrian Branch (analyst) will be on the call. 

HOW TO LISTEN
Wednesday's game can be heard live on KDOW 1220 AM with Anthony Passarelli and Henry Caruso on the call live from the Leavey Center. 

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are available for purchase right here. 

PARKING
Parking is $10 in the main campus parking structure, which is located on Palm Drive through the main campus entrance (500 El Camino Drive). The Leavey Center parking lot is reserved for season-ticket holders. Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions.

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