Three Santa Clara Broncos Kentucky fans need to know before Friday's matchup

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received a seven-seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and they will be playing the #10 Santa Clara Broncos on Friday in the Round of 64. These seven vs. ten matchups in the big dance often see a lot of upsets, so the Wildcats will have to do everything in their power to try to avoid this on Friday.

While the Broncos come from the WCC, they are an excellent team ranked 35th in KenPom. Santa Clara does a lot well, like shooting the ball from three, and they are a dominant team on the glass. While Kentucky is obviously favored to win this game, the Broncos over the Wildcats is a common upset pick many have seen on social media, so Pope’s team needs to play well on Friday to pull out the win.

With Santa Clara being in the WCC, some Kentucky fans might not know all that much about them and the players on the team. Let’s take a look at three players Kentucky fans need to know ahead of this massive matchup in the NCAA Tournament.

Three Santa Clara players Kentucky fans need to know ahead of their Round of 64 matchup

Christian Hammond

Chris Hammond — March 8, 2026; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Santa Clara Broncos guard Christian Hammond (1) dribbles the basketball against Pacific Tigers guard TJ Wainwright (10) during the first half at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Christian Hammond is the star player for this Santa Clara team, who is averaging 15.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and a steal per game for the Broncos. The 6’4 sophomore guard is shooting 49% from the field and 40% from three. Hammond can shoot the three-ball clearly, as he is shooting 40% from three, but he is a true three-level scorer. He likes to shoot the midrange jumper and can get to the rim. The Broncos are at their best when Hammond plays well, so if the Wildcats can make him inefficient, it would be massive.

Elijah Mahi

Elijah Mahi is the second leading scorer for this team, averaging 13.9 points per game to go with 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He shoots the ball 11.6 times per game, including 4.5 threes a game for the Broncos. The 6’7 forward is a strong player weighing 220 pounds and is a pure scorer like Hammond. Most Santa Clara players are threats to score from all over the floor, and Mahi is no exception.

Allen Graves

Allen Graves is the backup big man for this Santa Clara team, but the freshman is exceptional. He averages 11.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.5 per game. The 6’9, 225-pound big is quite impressive down low, but does shoot 2.6 threes per game. This means that everywhere on the floor Graves has the ball, Kentucky has to respect him. He is a really impressive rebounder in the way he positions his body on both ends of the floor. Graves is the big man who gets more minutes despite coming off the bench.