Kentucky Takes Over Santa Clara With a Thrilling 1-Point Win!

Kentucky Basketball will enter postseason play Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against the Santa Clara Broncos at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, with tip-off set for 12:15 PM ET on CBS. The Wildcats officially punched their ticket to March Madness on Selection Sunday, earning a No.

7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and drawing No. 10 seed Santa Clara in the opening round. Kentucky enters the postseason with a 21-13 record after falling to Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Despite the loss, Mark Pope’s team did enough throughout the regular season to comfortably secure a spot in the 68-team field and now shifts its focus to surviving and advancing. Kentucky showed flashes of high-level play throughout the season but also battled inconsistency on both ends of the floor. At times, the Wildcats displayed an elite offense capable of putting up points in bunches, while in other games, their defense stepped up against strong competition.

However, rarely have both elements clicked simultaneously, something Kentucky will need if it hopes to make a deep tournament run. Meanwhile, Santa Clara enters the matchup with a 26-8 record after falling to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Championship Game. The Broncos have been one of the more balanced teams in the country this season and rank 35th overall in KenPom, including 23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency and 19th in adjusted defensive efficiency.