Gonzaga at Santa Clara Preview

Another tough loss followed by another shot at redemption. Gonzaga looks to settle the score against the Broncos as they head to Santa Clara on Tuesday.

That’s a tough one to shake off, Zag fans. There’s nothing quite as disappointing and irritating as a loss to Saint Mary’s—especially at the Kennel and especially on Senior Night, and especially when there are about 100 reasonable explanations for why the Bulldogs lost that one. But the Zags have to put it in the rearview and focus up, because there’s another shot at redemption on deck as they head down to Santa Clara to take on the red hot Broncos—a fresh opportunity to show what this team is really capable of when its playing its best basketball. We’ve caught fleeting glimpses of it this season, and hopefully the Saint Mary’s loss is the right kind of motivation.

Santa Clara’s Recent Rampage

Santa Clara stands at 19‑10 on the season, 11‑5 in conference, and ranks #55 in KenPom and #52 in the NET. They’ve been stacking up impressive wins lately. For those out of the loop, the Broncos delivered an absolutely vicious 109‑79 beating to the hapless Cougs down in Pullman on Saturday. They set a new program record for made threes in a game—and a new record for the entire WCC—with a nearly unbelievable 23‑38 from deep (almost 64% of their points). Seven different Broncos contributed from beyond the arc, including starters Elijah Mahi (4‑8), Johnny O’Neil (5‑6), Tyree Bryan (4‑6), and Carlos Stewart (4‑7). Brenton Knapper came off the bench, chipped in 18 points on 3‑7 shooting from deep, and also led the team with 5 assists.

It wasn’t just the best game the Broncos have played this season—it’s probably the best game any WCC team has played all year. They took the life out of the Cougs, dagger after dagger, big shot after big shot. It was nearly comical in its brutality. That’s the team the Zags are about to face, fresh off their season’s most heartbreaking loss.

The Shooting Puzzle

It’s unclear as of yet whether Santa Clara’s lights-out shooting performance was an aberration or a sign of things to come. As a team, they average 37.6% from three on the season, with Mahi and Knapper posting the best individual percentages at 43.8% and 41.7%, respectively. In the five games leading up to their blowout at Beasley, the team went a combined 57‑136—roughly 42%, 28th in the nation. Overall, they’re an above-average three‑point shooting team that is occasionally way above average. They take a ton of threes, and Zag fans know all too well that when they’re hot, they’re scorching.

A Bad Time in January

The last time these two teams met, the Broncos ended up with a 103-99 victory over the Zags. Tyree Bryan set a new career high with 35 points on 13‑21 from the field (7‑12 from three). The 18 points he managed in the first half alone marked a career high for the senior. The Broncos knocked down 18‑38 from deep, including 12‑17 in the second half. Adama Alpha‑Bal put up 20—all coming in the second half. The Zags just refused to play defense at every level, leaving with a tough loss and a new record for most points ever scored against Gonzaga in the Kennel.

That painful defeat became a tipping point. It galvanized a renewed commitment to playing defense and a willingness to experiment with lineup configurations and minute distributions—a much‑needed wakeup call for a team that’d been struggling to put the pieces together. The matchup on Wednesday marks a real chance to see how those changes have paid off.

How to Beat the Broncos

It’ll come down to a mix of mental toughness, sticking to what’s worked, and making sure the mistakes from last time don’t happen again. The Zags will need to show grit, rely on their backcourt veterans, and—once again—play some defense. Here’s what they must do:

• Shake It Off: Three games in six days is brutal. Between the 19th and 25th, that’s life for the Bulldogs. These guys have to be more physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted than at any point in the season. To make the most of these final weeks together, they’ll need to rise above the tough losses, the discord, the frustration, and the chatter—then just play ball.
• Grit: The Broncos are going to hit a lot of shots—many of them from three—and they’ll be on their home court in front of a packed house, playing for another potential upset. Momentum, volume, and even officiating might tilt in their favor. Throughout the season, the Zags have sometimes looked lost in close games, unsure of who should take the shot when Ike gets jammed down low. To beat Santa Clara, they must maintain composure when the Broncos make a run and respond in kind on the other end. Don’t let the game get away from them.
• Do What Worked Last Time: In their previous meeting, despite setting some less-than-thrilling records for the Broncos, the Zags packed the stat sheet with some jaw-dropping numbers themselves. Ryan Nembhard recorded a career high 15 assists, Nolan Hickman set a new career high with 24 points (including 6 three-pointers), Graham Ike scored 21 in 25 minutes, and Braden Huff put up 16 in just 10 minutes. As a team, they dished out 28 assists on 36 made field goals. The Zags got buckets that game—they just refused to play defense. Since then, their defense has transformed, holding opponents to an average of just 63 points per game. The Broncos will not be facing the same Gonzaga squad they handled last month, and Gonzaga would be wise to stick to what works offensively and absolutely suffocate the Broncos on the other end.
• Defend the 3: It’s unlikely the Broncos will serve up another outside shooting performance like the one they dished out against WSU, but they’d be foolish not to try. The Zags should expect plenty of long-range attempts and will need to do much better than they did against Santa Clara in defending these looks. The Broncos are led by Adama Alpha‑Bal in scoring (13.6 ppg) and assists (3 apg), and they boast a deep bench—with nine players averaging 14+ minutes per game. They keep fresh legs rotating for all 40 minutes and are play the hot hand in scoring. The Zags need to dramatically improve what they’ve been worst at all season in order to beat the Broncos: defending the three-point line. If they can’t stay in front of their man and avoid over-relying on help-side switches, few teams are better equipped to make them pay than Santa Clara—they’ve done it before.