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Santa Clara vs. Saint Mary’s: 2022 WCC Tournament game preview, TV schedule

March 5, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Santa Clara Broncos celebrate against the Portland Pilots during the second half in the quarterfinals of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 5, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Santa Clara Broncos celebrate against the Portland Pilots during the second half in the quarterfinals of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Santa Clara looks to play themselves into the NCAA tournament against likely at-large Saint Mary’s in the WCC semifinals.

TV Schedule: Monday, March 7th, 11:30 PM ET. ESPN2

Arena: The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

In a tournament that’s resulted in chalk results in the first two rounds, the semifinal matchup between the third-place Santa Clara Broncos and the second-place Saint Mary’s Gaels may be the first chance for an upset in the WCC tournament.

Santa Clara is coming off of a decisive 91-67 win over the Portland Pilots on Saturday night which showcased a potent offense that could give any defense in the country fits. The Broncos had four starters with an offensive rating of 120 or better that night and going a combined 13 for 25 from three. Junior guard Jalen Williams led the way with 24 points and looked every part of a potential next-level player.

The Broncos are a darkhorse candidate to keep the 4-bid hopes alive for the WCC. While it would take not just an upset of Saint Mary’s but likely an auto-bid from a victory on Tuesday, it’s not impossible. Their 21-10 record is deceptive perhaps to the unfamiliar but when this team is fully healthy they are scary. Four of the team’s losses came in the heart of nonconference play when senior big and team focal point Josip Vrankic was out with mononucleosis.

Williams and Vrankic are a formidable tandem, but what makes Santa Clara dangerous is when transfer point guard PJ Pipes and wing Keshawn Justice are able to add to the scoring. Pipes is a 40.8% three-point shooter since the beginning of February and Justice is a 42% three-point shooter on the season.

For the Broncos to advance to Tuesday they will need to break the blanketing defense that head coach Randy Bennett has perfected with Saint Mary’s. And they were able to do so back on February 8th when they scored 77 points against the Gaels, the highest score they’ve surrendered.

But it’s an incredibly difficult effort to replicate, just ask Gonzaga. Saint Mary’s works their tail off to force the opposing offense to settle for difficult shots and out of the zones that they like to run their offense. The Gaels rank fourth in the country in terms of the fewest three-point attempts per total field goals attempted. Even more difficult, they rank first in the country in the fewest assists per field goal made in the country.

The deciding factor may be how the Gaels are able to score against this Broncos defense. The Broncos do not have near the suffocating defense as Saint Mary’s and rank in the bottom of the half of the conference in defensive efficiency, effective field goal defense, and three-point shooting. If Tommy Kuhse and junior Alex Ducas are able to find their offensive flow after an eight-day break the Gaels might be able to lean on their defense to squeeze the postseason hopes out of the Broncos.

Perhaps the best battle of the night will be down low between Vrankic and senior Matthias Tass who will be fighting for rebounding and second chance territory. Tass will not be lacking confidence after his showing against Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, where he bested the second-team All American with 6 for 12 shooting in the paint.

Prediction: Saint Mary’s 72, Santa Clara 68