Santa Clara guard Adama Bal (4) leads the Broncos in scoring so far this season.
Young Kwak | AP
A look ahead to the Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball game against the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday in Reno:
TIP-OFF: 7 p.m., Lawlor Events Center.
RECORDS: Nevada (3-0); Santa Clara (1-2).
HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN: The game can be seen on Nevada Sports Net and heard on 95.5 FM.
THE RIVALRY: Santa Clara leads the rivalry, 35-29, which started on March 1, 1913, in the fourth game in Wolf Pack history (a 37-18 win in Reno). The two teams were in the West Coast Conference together from 1969-70 through 1978-79, with Santa Clara winning 12-of-20 head-to-head games. The Broncos won the first eight while the Pack won eight of the last 12.
THE LAST MEETINGS: Santa Clara beat the Wolf Pack, 96-74, in Santa Clara on Nov. 16, 2021, the last time the teams met. Grant Sherfield led Nevada with 23 points. The last game in Reno between the teams was a 98-67 Pack win on Dec. 4, 2019, as Jazz Johnson scored 20 points and Jalen Harris had 16.
THE HEAD COACHES: Steve Alford will be looking for his 100th victory as the Wolf Pack head coach on Saturday against Santa Clara. Alford is 99-58 at Nevada since 2019-20. Alford, who turns 60 on Nov. 23, is also 686-357 in his 34-year career at Manchester, Southwest Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico, UCLA and Nevada. Santa Clara's Herb Sendek is 141-109 and in his ninth season with the Broncos. He's won 20-plus games the last three seasons. The 61-year-old Sendek is 554-404 and in his 31st season as a head coach at Miami (Ohio), North Carolina State, Arizona State and Santa Clara.
SENDEK-ALFORD RIVALRY: Alford is 6-2 against Sendek in his career. He beat Sendek twice as New Mexico's coach when Sendek coached Arizona State (76-62 on Nov. 16, 2010, and 76-61 on Nov. 18, 2011). Alford's Iowa Hawkeyes beat Sendek's Sun Devils, 67-64, on Nov. 25, 2006, and also beat Sendek's North Carolina State Wolfpack, 45-42, on Nov. 30, 2005. Sendek's Sun Devils met Alford's UCLA Bruins and split two games (UCLA won, 87-82, on Jan. 12, 2014, and Arizona State won, 68-66, on Feb. 18, 2015). Alford and Sendek have also split two games in their current jobs, with the Pack winning, 98-67, on Dec. 4, 2019, and Santa Clara winning, 96-74, on Nov. 16, 2021.
SANTA CLARA LINEUP: The Broncos starters this year have been Adama Bal (18 points, 3 assists), Christoph Tilly (12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds), Tyeree Bryan (9.0 points, 3 rebounds), Carlos Stewart (8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3 assists) and Johnny O'Neil (4 points, 6 rebounds).
SANTA CLARA SECRET WEAPON: Elijah Mahi, a junior college transfer, is averaging 15 points off the bench this year. The 6-7, 220-pounder has scored in double digits in his first three games, with 10 against Saint Louis, 19 against Arizona State and 16 against North Dakota State. Mahi averaged 17.5 points in each of the last two seasons for West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif. His Vikings went 59-5 in his two seasons combined and were a perfect 33-0 last year while winning the California Community College state title.
WOLF PACK LINEUP: The Pack starters are expected to be Kobe Sanders (19.3 points. 4.0 rebounds, 5 assists), Nick Davidson (18 points, 8 rebounds), Tre Coleman (9.7 points, 4.9 assists), Xavier DuSell (8 points, 2.3 rebounds) and Brandon Love (5.7 points, 4 rebounds).
SANTA CLARA HEIGHT: The Broncos pose a new challenge for the Pack in terms of size. Tilly is 7-foot, O'Neil is 6-9 while backup center Jake Ensminger, who averages one point and five rebounds a game in 20 minutes, is 6-9. Francisco Caffaro is 7-foot and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16 minutes a game. The 6-10 Luke McEldon is playing six minutes a game while 7-1 Bucky Oboye has only left the bench in two games this year for a minute each time.