Will Santa Clara Men’s Basketball Make the 2026 NCAA Tournament?

Santa Clara forward Allen Graves (22) during an NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Santa Clara is trying its best to make the West Coast Conference a three-bid league for the first time since 2022. The Broncos are a bubble team on the verge of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

The safest path forward for Santa Clara would be to win the West Coast Conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Presumably, that would mean beating Saint Mary’s on Monday night and then Gonzaga in the final round.

Even if Santa Clara falls short of that, the Broncos may have already done enough to get into the tournament as an at-large team. 

Santa Clara NCAA Tournament Resume

  • Santa Clara KenPom: 37
  • Santa Clara NET Ranking: 42
  • Santa Clara Strength of Record: 41
  • Santa Clara KPI: 41
  • Santa Clara BPI: 49
  • Santa Clara Quadrant 1 Record: 1-5

Santa Clara NCAA Tournament Prediction

I am predicting Santa Clara will make the NCAA Tournament.

Right now, Santa Clara is projected as a tournament team by most major bracketologists, and many of the major conference teams currently behind the Broncos field weak resumes. 

Even with bid steals or strong conference tournament performances from other bubble teams, I still think Santa Clara will end up with a tournament bid at this point.

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About the Author Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.