Santa Clara meets UAB in Second Round of NIT

Photo by Amy Suh

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The Santa Clara Broncos (21-12, 12-7 WCC) will meet the UAB Blazers (23-12, 15-6 AAC) at home in the Leavey Center in round two of the National Invitation Tournament on Sunday at 6 p.m. PST. 

The Broncos are 12-7 against West Coast Conference opponents and 9-5 in non-conference play. Santa Clara is second in the WCC with 17.2 assists per game led by Adama-Alpha Bal ‘25 averaging 3.1. The Blazers are 15-6 against American Athletic Conference teams. UAB is 3-3 in one-possession games.

Santa Clara scores 81.9 points, 6.0 more per game than the 75.9 UAB allows. UAB averages 6.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.8 fewer makes per game than Santa Clara allows.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bal is averaging 13.3 points and 3.1 assists for the Broncos. Elijah Mahi ‘26 is averaging 12.0 points over the last 10 games.

Tyren Moore averages 1.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Blazers, scoring 6.5 points while shooting 38.4% from beyond the arc. Yaxel Lendeborg is averaging 17.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, two steals and 1.7 blocks over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Broncos: 7-3, averaging 87.2 points, 35.2 rebounds, 19.7 assists, 7.1 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.3 points per game. Blazers: 7-3, averaging 78.9 points, 35.6 rebounds, 15.6 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.0 points.

While Santa Clara holds the statistical advantage in this game, it is clear through the results of the NCAA Tournament that anything can happen in March Madness. It should be an exciting matchup on Sunday evening, and the winner will move on to round three where they will face either Jacksonville State or UC Irvine on April 3 in Indianapolis, IN. 

AP Contributed to this Story.