LAS VEGAS - Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek often wears a poker face during interviews, but it was clear on Monday night he was feeling good. His Broncos had just knocked off rival Saint Mary’s 76-71 in the semifinals of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship and perched on his lap was 4-year-old grandson Ford.
 
“He’s a basketball player, too,” said Sendek, in a light moment.
 
The guys who spend more time on the court with Sendek were very good when it mattered most. In front of a capacity crowd of 6,343 fans at Orleans Arena and an ESPN national audience, the Broncos made their latest, loudest statement that they belong in the NCAA Tournament field.
 
They beat the conference co-champion Gaels (27-5), who are considered a lock for the field of 68, for the second time this season, but just 12 days after losing by 19 points at Moraga. 
 
“We just achieved history for the school,” said Sash Gavalyugov, a redshirt freshman guard from Bulgaria, who came off the bench to score 23 points, including the biggest shot of the game. “As you know, we haven’t been to the March Madness since 1996. We came for the (conference) championship. We’re not satisfied with just getting to the March Madness, we want win it all.”
 
Now in Tuesday’s 6 p.m. championship game for the first time since 2007, Santa Clara (26-7) will duel conference co-champion and top seed Gonzaga (29-3), which advanced to its 29th consecutive West Coast Conference title game. The winner earns the league’s automatic NCAA bid.
 
Senior forward Elijah Mahi, who had 19 points and seven rebounds, sounded very much like he believes the Broncos will play in the NCAAs for the first time since the days of Steve Nash.
 
“It means everything. Took a lot of work,” he said. “This is unreal. This is everything I ever imagined from the beginning of the year. We knew what we had as a team. Coach pointed us in the right direction. It’s amazing.”
 
Sendek, who won his 600th career game, has been consistent in his unwillingness to speculate about his team’s NCAA chances, mostly because he considers it a distraction with no tangible benefit.
 
“For my own personal sanity, I can’t go into those rooms. Because it changes hourly. It doesn’t really matter what I think. Let’s just play tomorrow’s game.”
 
That will be challenge enough, coming barely 16 hours or so after the players and coaches probably hit their pillows late Monday night.
 
“Before we know it, we’re going to be tipping off. Tomorrow will be a game more of us relying on our habits than it will be some intricate preparation or game-planning,” he said. “At this point, when you’re playing a third consecutive game of this level in three consecutive days, the most important thing we can do is to get hydrated, get rest and come out and give it everything we have.”
 
SASH’S BIG MOMENT: Gavalyugov had a big game back on Jan. 10, when he scored 37 points against LMU. This was different, especially the last of his five 3-pointers. With the clock under 20 seconds to play and the Broncos leading 73-71, Sash took it on his shoulders when the play that was called broke down.
 
On the left wing, he dribbled a couple steps back to NBA 3-point range, then hoisted up the biggest shot of his college career. With 12.1 seconds left, it dropped through the net for a five-point lead.
 
Sendek asked him if he knew it was going in. “I was like yeah. I’m pretty confident in those moments,” he said. “I’m not afraid to fail. I would like to take the shots in the big moments.”
 
Asked moments later what his message is to fellow students back on campus, Gavalyugov suggested, “If you can, get a flight to Las Vegas.” Then he looked to the back of the room to find Santa Clara President Julie Sullivan, and pleaded, “Maybe you can excuse them from missing school tomorrow.”
 
DISAPPOINTED GAELS: Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett, whose team was hoping to play in its fifth consecutive tournament title game, said they just weren’t good enough in this one. “I didn’t think we played well,” he said. “We definitely didn’t defend well.”
 
The Gaels began the day at No. 20 in the NET computer rankings, presumably giving them a comfortable margin with regards to the NCAAs.
 
Asked he if thinks his team is in the field, and if he thinks Santa Clara has done enough, Bennett paused and said, “Should be, on both.”
 
Junior forward Paulius Murauskas led the Gaels with 26 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Mikey Lewis put on an offensive show with 23 points, including a few baskets that drew aahs from the crowd.
 
While losing was a tough swallow for the Gaels, Santa Clara’s Sendek paid tribute to the program Bennett has built since 2001 after inheriting a 2-27 club.
 
“What Randy has done at Saint Mary’s is as remarkable and as incredible as any job that has been done in men’s college basketball in the last 30 years. We really need to pause and think about that and appreciate it,” he said, alluding to the Gaels, who are likely headed to their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament, their 12th under Bennett. 
 
"From where they started (25) years and where they are today and the consistency is just utterly remarkable. I stand in awe. In every facet: their ability to evaluate, their ability to recruit, their ability to teach, to get guys to accept roles — even roles that aren’t always glamorous — is just remarkable.”
 
ZAGS INTO 29TH STRAIGHT TITLE GAME: Top-seed Gonzaga (29-3) never trailed on the way to a 65-56 victory over No. 4 Oregon State in the early semifinal. The regular-season co-champs, even knowing they are a lock to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament, played with urgency in this one, head coach Mark Few said, out of respect for outgoing Beavers head coach Wayne Tinkle.
 
“I was really proud of how our guys came out. These games are hard when we know we’re going to continue after this when you’re facing a team that doesn’t have that opportunity. So you’re facing a team with desperation,” Few said.
 
“Our guys were really dialed in. I think that’s out of the great respect we have for Wayne and Oregon State.”
 
Into the conference tournament final for the 29th consecutive year — an NCAA record — the Zags looked sharp. They shot 54 percent while forging a 38-24 halftime lead, outscored the Beavers 16-0 in fastbreak situations and got 24 points from their bench.
 
West Coast Conference Player of the Year Graham Ike, who had 24 points and 11 rebounds, said the team’s character showed. “I don’t think it’s really tough for us to get motivated,” he said. “We enjoy going out and playing together and staying connected.”
 
WELCOMING BACK WARLEY: Starting Zags guard Jalen Warley returned after missing two games due to a quad injury that has lingered. He had four points and three rebounds in 23 minutes, but his teammates said that doesn’t reflect his value.
 
“On both ends he’s special. He’s phenomenal,” Ike said. “The way he gets us into action, the way he just keeps the ball moving on the offensive end is special. 
 
“And on defense, he’s handsy, he everywhere, he’s hit his coverages, he’s talking to us, he’s pulling us together for huddles. We definitely missed his energy and his leadership on the floor and we’re glad to have him back.”
 
“Yeah, he’s different, man. He’s an amazing player.” teammate Adam Miller added. “He leads in ways you guys don’t see. What he does for this team, you can’t replace it.”
 
Few said Warley has gotten healthier since originally suffering the injury in early February but may need the break between the conference tournament and the start of NCAA play to get to 100 percent.
 
PRAISE FOR TINKLE: Few and Tinkle, who have known each other for years, embraced after the game. Oregon State informed Tinkle a couple weeks back he would not return for a 13th season in Corvallis.
 
“He’s the best,” Few said. “He’s a phenomenal coach.”
 
Junior guard Josiah Lake II was emotional when asked about Tinkle. “Just super-grateful for him as a person. I couldn’t ask for a better guy to take me under his wing and trust me throughout this whole process.”
 
After getting the news, Tinkle wondered if his players might be better off the rest of the season, knowing he wouldn’t be back. “The response: `Coach, lead us to the end,’ is going to be something near and dear to my heart.”
 
Tinkle said the Beavers (17-16) just couldn’t stay with the Zags in this one. “We were up against brutal force tonight,” he said. “Man, they were everywhere. They played very, very inspired and they’re a really good team. They wore us out.”