3 keys to victory for Gonzaga Bulldogs against high scoring Santa Clara Broncos

The Zags are looking to start 5-0 in their final season in the WCC

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs will take on Herb Sendek and the Santa Clara Broncos on Thursday night in a battle between two of the three remaining undefeated teams in WCC play.

Gonzaga (16-1, 4-0) dominated Pepperdine in a 40 point win to kick off their final season in the West Coast Conference, before struggling to close out San Diego two days later on the road and needing overtime to defeat pesky Seattle U at The Kennel on Friday, Jan. 2. The Zags responded to that ugly performance with a dominant defensive effort against LMU on Sunday, winning 82-47 in their lone regular season game against the Lions.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara (13-4, 4-0) dominated Oregon State on the road, 102-64, and labored their way through a 92-85 win at Portland to close out the year 2025. The Broncos then returned home and easily dispatched Pepperdine and San Diego by 19 and 28 points, respectively.

Fans will remember Santa Clara handing Gonzaga a 103-99 loss in Spokane last year, the first and only time the Zags have surrendered 100 or more points in the 22-year history of the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Broncos did so on the back of elite three-point shooting, which is one of many things Gonzaga will have to do better on Thursday to stay undefeated in league play and exact some revenge on Santa Clara.

Below are three keys to victory for Gonzaga on Thursday night, with the game set to tip at 8:30 PM PT on ESPN2:

1. Lock down on the perimeter

Santa Clara isn't as elite from the perimeter as they were last year, thanks to the departures of Adama Alpha-Bal (grad), Carlos Stewart (grad), and Tyeree Bryan (Texas Tech), but this team still puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenses with their outside looks.

The Broncos are currently fifth in all of college basketball with 515 attempts from beyond the arc, averaging a whopping 30.3 attempts per game. However, they are making them at just a 32.8% clip, with seven players attempting more than three threes per game but only two of them - Christian Hammond (41.4%) and Elijah Mahi (36.5%) - shooting better than 35 percent.

Feb 24, 2024; Spokane, Washington, USA; Santa Clara Broncos head coach Herb Sendek looks on against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. | James Snook-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Gonzaga is a vastly improved team defensively on the perimeter thanks to the additions of Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller, Braeden Smith, and Mario Saint-Supery, as well as an increased role for Emmanuel Innocenti, who did not play in the home game against Santa Clara last year.

Grant-Foster in particular has a knack for blocking shots on the wing, and his presence will make life far more difficult for Hammond, Mahi, Jake Ensminger, and the rest of Santa Clara's perimeter threats.

2. Take care of the basketball

One of the more intriguing aspects of Thursday's matchup will be who wins between Gonzaga's offense and Santa Clara's defense, specifically in regard to turnovers.

Per KenPom, Gonzaga's 14.1% turnover rate is the 21st best mark in all of college basketball, while Santa Clara's rate of forcing turnovers is at 20.7%, which is 34th best. The Broncos average over nine steals per game and generate steals 12.8% of the time, but will have trouble doing so against a Zags backcourt that has done a phenomenal job of protecting the rock this season.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mario Saint-Supery (17). | Photo by Erik Smith

Gonzaga's point guard duo of Braeden Smith and Mario Saint-Supery averages 9.2 assists and 2.7 turnovers combined, and if they can effectively get Gonzaga into their offensive sets and distribute the ball without coughing it up against Santa Clara's talented backcourt, it will go a long way toward ensuring the Zags don't fall to the Broncos again in Spokane.

3. Take, and make, a lot of free throws

Santa Clara fouls. A lot. The Broncos have allowed opponents to shoot 363 total free throws this year, which is the 42nd most in college basketball and an average of 21.4 attempts per game. The numbers get even worse against quality opponents, with Xavier (34 attempts), Nevada (28), Minnesota (27), North Texas (27) and Oregon State (27) all attempting 25 or more free throws against the Broncos.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Tyon Grant-Foster (7). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Meanwhile, Gonzaga is quite good at getting to the free throw line, although they are not nearly as effective at actually knocking them down - with their percentage on the season dipping just below 70%. The key for the Zags will be for Graham Ike - who leads the team with 5.5 attempts per game - to knock them down at or greater than his 75% season average, while Tyon Grant-Foster (3.9 attempts per game) will need to stay hot from the stripe to keep improving on his ugly 65.2% season rate.

The Broncos have real size down low, unlike most teams in the WCC, but the depth outside of starting big man Bukky Oboye is fairly limited. The 7'1 Oboye and 6'9 Allen Graves both average over one block per game, but both average over three fouls per game as well. If the Zags can saddle those two with foul issues, it will test Santa Clara's depth in a major way while - hopefully - giving Gonzaga free points at the charity stripe.