It’s that time of year again…previews are starting to leak out. Most of the ones this early are of suspect quality, but I’ll link them as I find them.
One of the perennial best previews is from the guys at Three-Man Weave. They devoted an entire episode to the WCC this time around, but I gotta say that it doesn’t feel like some of their best work–perhaps their written preview will be more illuminating. That said, they can actually name more than 1-2 members of each WCC squad which feels like a success when you wade through some of the other league previews that get cranked out. 3MW is not terribly optimistic about SCU. Their bold take is that USF may just be better than SMC this year which…does qualify as a bold take. Newbury is back for the Dons, though, so the Hilltop should be tough as ever this season.
Not sure if everyone’s been keeping up with the Santa Clara Basketball Podcast lately, but the last two episodes are about the upcoming 2025-2026 season, and they share some cool insights about the players. It’s definitely worth a listen!
This was absolutely terrific for anyone really tracking the Broncos. I can’t wait to see this team in action. Great kids and super-talented too. Go Broncos.
I am totally psyched about this year’s team. I also think we need to give kudos to lastyear’s. That was one heck of a team and with just a few more wins might have been in the Big Dance. They beat Gonzaga at Gonzaga, and did it by the most points anyone had ever done that. What a great team and year! The current team looks amazing but they have big shoes to fill. Remember, the 2024/2025 team was so good it had Jake, Cam, Brenton, Bukky and Kosy coming off the bench! If this year’s team exceeds them it will be quite a triumph. Go Broncos.
Torvik has its updated pages for each team, including Santa Clara. The Broncos come in at 90, which isn’t amazing, but it notable for being within the top-100 despite replacing the whole starting five. This is one more small indication of how the floor has really elevated for Santa Clara over the past 5 seasons.
Darlan is not yet factored in, but I doubt his addition would move SCU more than 3-4 spots–not that it would matter for hypothetical preseason metrics anyways.
I took a look at Lindy’s in line at CVS today. The preview has Santa Clara at 4th in the WCC. That’s pretty much consistent with every outlet: Zags, SMC, USF, SCU, and then the rest. The preview was written before the Darlan news was announced, though I doubt it would have changed the predicted order of finish.
Theo Lawson, a Zags coverage guy, wrote the preview. He’s well informed on WCC matters, but there are no revelations in his previews for most of us. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend running out to purchase a copy, but there are worse things to poke through in line at the grocery store.
Just teasing…sort of. These pre-season predictions are popular because they feed into sports fans’ anticipation. And hope springs eternal (Exhibit A: this board). But they are so often wrong. Case in point: the Baltimore Ravens were supposed to be an elite team, and the Indianapolis Colts were predicted to be garbage.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to this hoops season, more so than I have in a long time. This truly seems like a year where the roster is stacked, and if Herb can retain everyone for the 2026-27 season, then next year could be dynamite.
But let us see if Herb can put the quality pieces together on the court.
"Herb Sendek continues to bend reality at Santa Clara. From producing NBA lottery picks to churning out top-75 caliber teams, the bar here is inconceivably high. No, last season wasn’t perfect but Sendek should never be doubted, nor should his transfer class, which surely contains a potential All WCC breakout star lurking under the radar. The late Darlan addition could put the Broncos in contention to challenge Saint Mary’s and San Francisco but I’m cautiously slotting them at fourth, while admitting the ceiling runs as high as second. "
Four yrs we had great expectations for our teams. And four yrs of looking inside from the glass of the bubble. Santa Clara no doubt gets the talent - but the inflexible commitment to man - combined with living or dying by the three - has been our downfall.
Hopefully with some new coaching blood this year - that might change.
I was looking for the overseas players thread. Jalen Benjamin is balling out in Germany. Cam just came off a bench sitting injury to almost get a double-double. He had 16 pts and 9 rebounds vs a Lithuanian team today. The stat I loved the most - he was 100% at the FT. Finally! lol
Jalen, Cam, Chef, and Carlos have plans for a reunion in Copenhagen. That will be fun.
Eight top-150 teams in the WCC. That’s pretty good, though would be nice to get SCU and four others into that top-100 zone where a lot of games become Quads 1 & 2.
I think 105 for SCU is about right with what the Broncos lost. Obviously, I hope for better, but that seems very reasonable for a preseason prognostication.
If USF finishes 84, I think a lot of Dons fans will be pretty disappointed.
Zack and I just recorded our SCU preview for the Unofficial WCC Hoops Podcast, should be up sometime in the coming days/early next week before media day
We’ll see what everyone thinks about what we have to say about our Broncos this year
Posted today! The work that you and Zack have done is and continues to be excellent and, I think, very important for raising the profile of the conference overall.
You and Zack complement each other well, and having two voices makes for a much more engaging listen.
As to the analysis, I think you reach the only reasonable conclusion for this year’s Broncos: plenty of reason for optimism, but it’s hard to make a bold prediction even with adding Darlan that would put SCU above 4th place. If any of the high major transfers turns out to be even Adama Bal-quality, let alone Podziemski, then there’s room to rise and fight for even 2nd place. But I don’t think you can bet on that outcome and each team above SCU in the standings has more proven talent compared to Santa Clara’s multiple tantalizing, but untested, players.
This is a fairly decent preview from a smaller podcast/outlet (focused on gambling, I think, though betting doesn’t come up in the preview at all).
It’s a lot of “guys reading stats” but isn’t a bad primer for the conference overall. If nothing else, it will help you get familiar with the other players in the WCC. Nothing revelatory, but a totally fine background listen.
Woefully lacking of any understanding of our team, but maybe that is good. Let’s be underrated, surprise everyone, and next year hear them say “we didn’t see that coming.” Go Broncos!
Great article by Marc Spears on Darlan. Hopefully we can find a Bay Area restaurant or family to provide Darlan with proper Central African Republic cuisine.
Hearing the Broncos will not be starting the season at full strength.
Gehrig Normand has a broken bone in his foot but should be back for the start of WCC play if not sooner.
BK is nursing an elbow injury. He fell on it in practice. Unsure if he’ll miss any games.
Chris Tadjo has a knee injury that requires or required surgery. If he has the minor procedure he’ll be back this season. If he chooses/chose the more extensive surgery he’ll miss the season.
KJ Cochran had emergency surgery (undisclosed) the other night. The time table with his return is uncertain atm. Could be back for next weeks games or could need longer
