The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 94 is Santa Clara basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Santa Clara basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 1
- Elite Eights: 5
- Sweet 16s: 7
- NCAA wins: 11
- Bids: 12
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 13.9
- Bids per season: 0.10
- AP Polls: 23
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 11
- Conference Players of the Year: 12
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 11
- Conference tournament titles: 2
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 2
Overall scoop on Santa Clara basketball
When you think of the West Coast Conference, usually it’s Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s that come to mind. But when you factor in all of the history, Santa Clara has to be included right there with the best of them.
The Broncos’ history goes way back, reaching the Final Four in 1952. It was their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and all they did was defeat UCLA and then Wyoming to get there. It would mark a stretch of three straight tourney bids, going to the Elite 8 in 1953 (also beating Wyoming) and in 1954. Star forwards Ken Sears and Jim Young were there for all three runs, along with head coach Bob Feerick, who would take them to the Sweet 16 in 1960.
After Freerick came Dick Garibaldi, who continued the tradition with Santa Clara. While he only coached the program for eight seasons, he, too, had a great run, with Elite 8s in 1968 and 1969 and a Sweet 16 in 1970. He actually stepped away after that season to take a job at Converse. Wild times! The star of those runs was big man Dennis Awtrey, who averaged 21.2 points and 14.1 rebounds per game in his senior season. Bud Ogden was also there for the two Elite 8 runs, getting named as a Consensus All-American in 1969.
Santa Clara hasn’t been dominant like that since, but they have turned into a bit of an NBA talent machine. Kurt Rambis starred there from 1976 to 1980, and remains in the top five all-time in points and rebounds for the program. Then, from 1992 to 1996, it was the legendary Steve Nash running the point. As a freshman, he led the Broncos past 2-seed Arizona in one of the greatest March Madness upsets ever. He’d never lead the Broncos further than the round of 32, but got them to a trio of tourneys in his four seasons.
The program ended a 30-year drought, finally making it back to the big dance this past season. But even though getting to March Madness hasn’t been easy, they’ve still pumped out great talent lately. With head coach Herb Sendek leading the way, guys like Jalen Williams, Brandin Podziemski, and now Allen Graves have been selected in the draft.
And before Sendek got there, the proof was in the pudding, as the Broncos won the CIT in 2011 and the CBI in 2013!
So, yes, Santa Clara may not be equal to current-day Gonzaga, but their own history is nothing to take lightly. From March Madness runs back in the day, to Hall of Famers, and now, current-day prospects, Santa Clara basketball has done it all.