Anyone who knows Santa Clara men’s basketball head coach Herb Sendek understands he operates in the here and now. Next week doesn’t factor into his thinking. Don’t ask him about the Broncos playing in March. Today is what matters.
 
His Santa Clara team, in pursuit of an NCAA bid, has revved up in an era where pace of play and 3-point shooting have led to 12 teams averaging more than 90 points this season. The Broncos check in at 82.3 points per game — highest of Sendek’s 10 seasons with the Broncos — and 87.6 points in conference play. That’s on pace to eclipse a more than half century-old program record for highest scoring mark in league play, set by the 1968 NCAA Tournament team starring Ralph and Bud Ogden and Dennis Awtrey.
 
Asked if he could have envisioned fielding such a potent offensive squad, Sendek stayed true to his personality. “I don’t know that I even thought about that 20 years ago. I was trying to coach our team in that particular moment,” he said.
 
Sendek also embraces the inevitability of change. His response is to continue growing as a coach. “I’m fascinated by learning,”  said the graduate of academic powerhouse Carnegie Mellon University. “So, with regard to the changes and developments in our sport, I’ve been excited about trying to be better and learning.”
 
The Broncos (16-5, 7-1) also play defense, as they demonstrated in a rough-and-tumble 62-54 victory over Saint Mary’s last Saturday, their first win in the ancient rivalry after eight straight defeats.
 
“I think our team has played pretty good defense throughout the season,”  Sendek said. “Saturday’s game certainly was a defensive battle. I don’t think it was easy to score at either end of the floor. Obviously, Sant Mary’s is elite defensively. I thought our guys really battled and competed at that end of the floor as well.”
 
Senior forward Elijah Mahi said the Broncos have played with confidence all season but acknowledged the value of beating Saint Mary’s to the team’s psyche and its postseason prospects.
 
“It meant a lot. It’s only my second year being here, but hearing how the rivalry is and how much it meant to guys, it was such a huge deal,” Mahi said. “Honestly, we’re just so happy and excited to keep building on it. The sky’s the limit for us.”
 
It’s the latest entry in a resume that is lifting the Broncos closer to something they have coveted for three decades — an NCAA Tournament bid. Santa Clara has won at least 20 games four years in a row but hasn’t been part of March Madness since Steve Nash’s senior season in 1996. This team is gaining believers.
 
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi this week pegged the Broncos as the second team among his first four out of the 68-team field. The Athletic took it a step further, projecting Santa Clara, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s all will get the call on Selection Sunday, giving the West Coast Conference three NCAA entries for the fourth time ever, the first time since 2022 when San Francisco joined the Zags and the Gaels in the tournament.
 
The Broncos, who play at San Diego (9-12, 3-5) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., are tied with Saint Mary’s (18-3, 7-1) for second place in the conference standings, both one game back of No. 8 Gonzaga (20-1, 8-0). All three are on solid footing in the NET rankings — one of the measures used by the NCAA selection committee — with Gonzaga at No. 4, Saint Mary’s at No. 28 and the Broncos at No. 44.
 
The Broncos, who lost six of their top seven scorers after last season, have reassembled with a young but balanced roster. Toronto native Mahi, the team’s most experienced returnee and a preseason All-West Coast Conference choice, is averaging 14.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. “He’s having a tremendous season,” Sendek said.
 
Meanwhile, others waiting in the wings or new to the program have blossomed. Senior point guard Brenton Knapper (7.9 points, 2.8 assists) and junior Jake Ensminger (6.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists), a 6-foot-9 guard from Ulm, Germany, have both grown into full-time starting roles. Ensminger, who boasts an enviable 3.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, is “one of those guys who makes everybody better,” Sendek said.
 
Junior guard Christian Hammond (16.9 points) redshirted last season, as did second-year forward Allen Graves (10.0 points, 6.8 rebounds). A native of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, Graves has hiked his production to 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds over the past five games. 
 
Their contributions as starters haven’t caught Sendek off guard. “We really had high expectations for Christian. We’re not surprised by his performances,” Sendek said. “We were really high on Allen. I think he has an incredible future.”
 
Graves is the youngest of three siblings who all played Division I basketball, following brother Marshall (LSU) and sister Amoura (Auburn). “I feel like a lot of my success is because of them,” Graves said. “My sister used to bully me a lot when I was younger, throwing elbows and playing dirty. I credit my toughness to her.”
 
Redshirt sophomore Bukky Oboye, a 7-1 center from Sugarland, Texas, has given the Broncos 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and a team-best 28 blocked shots in his first season as a starter. 
 
One of the team’s most intriguing players is Thierry Darlan, a 6-8 guard from the Central African Republic who spent the past two seasons playing in the NBA’s G League but secured eligibility to play for the Broncos. Darlan (6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds) has flourished his role coming off the bench.
 
“His competitive nature and what he brings to the game is beautiful,” Mahi said. “He’s a tall, lanky guy who can shoot it, dribble, make plays. Can guard one through five. He’s the type of piece we needed. He’s so talented and such a humble kid. But he’s the ultimate competitor.”
 
Sash Gavalyugov, a second-year guard from Bulgaria, averages 8.5 points per game, primarily off the bench. But he took full advantage of one of his two starts, erupting for 37 points against LMU two weeks ago. 
 
“Sash is beyond capable of doing things like that,” Mahi said. “It shows what we can do. We’re all right behind him to give the hot hand the ball. We really do believe in each other and ourselves. With all our heart, we just want to win.”
 
Graves believes that mindset will help the Broncos end the program’s long wait and return them to the NCAAs. “We’re aware but we take it one day at a time and we can’t rush the process and think a month-and-a-half ahead,” he said. “We don’t even talk about it, honestly.”