Santa Clara University is on the brink of ending a 30-year NCAA Tournament drought following a gritty 76-71 victory over No. 21 Saint Mary's in the WCC semifinals. Led by freshman Sash Gavalyugov's 23 points and Elijah Mahi's 19, the Broncos (26-7) displayed the late-game poise needed to topple the Gaels and advance to their first conference title game since 2007.

Tonight, the mission is simple: take down No. 12 Gonzaga for an automatic bid to the "Big Dance." Standing in the way is a Bulldogs squad that swept the regular-season series, but Santa Clara enters the match up playing its best basketball since the 
Steve Nash era of the mid-90s.

For generations, a long list of Padre alumni have chosen to call Santa Clara home, drawn to the shared values of the two institutions. This connection is exemplified by elite athletes like Henry Caruso '13, who was coached at Serra by fellow alumnus Chuck Rapp '86, a multi-time Mercury News Coach of the Year and the 2015 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year. Rapp led the Padres to their first-ever state title in 2016. Caruso, after a standout career at Princeton, returned home as a graduate transfer for the Santa Clara Broncos. Today, he carries the "Padre" legacy globally as the USA's #1 ranked 3x3 basketball player and the 2025 USA Basketball 3x3 Male Athlete of the Year. 

Join the Padres in cheering on the Broncos to make history tonight. Tip-off against the Zags is set for 6 p.m. PT on ESPN.

GO BRONCOS!
GO PADRES!