Program history
Santa Clara
in the tournament.
Santa Clara appears in 12 tournaments in this archive, between 1952 and 2026, with an all-time record of 11–14. It has reached the national semifinals twice — 1952 and 1954 — without reaching the title game.
In its opening game it is 4–8. 3 of its 6 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 1993, when a 15th seed beat the 2nd-seeded Arizona 64–61.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 3, from 1952 to 1954. Its longest absence ran 30 years, between 1996 and 2026. It has met UCLA 3 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 10th seed and as low as a 15th.
- 12 Appearances
- 11–14 All-time record
- 0 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | — | 17–12 | Bob Feerick | Independent | Fourth Place |
| 1953 | — | 17–7 | Bob Feerick | CBA | Round of 8 |
| 1954 | — | 20–7 | Bob Feerick | CBA | Round of 8 |
| 1960 | — | 21–10 | Bob Feerick | West Coast Athletic | Regional Fourth Place |
| 1968 | — | 22–4 | Dick Garibaldi | West Coast Athletic Conference | Regional Runner-up |
| 1969 | — | 27–2 | Dick Garibaldi | West Coast Athletic Conference | Regional Runner-up |
| 1970 | — | 23–6 | Dick Garibaldi | West Coast | Regional third place |
| 1987 | 15 | 18–14 | Carroll Williams | West Coast Athletic Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Iowa, 76–99 |
| 1993 | 15 | 19–12 | Dick Davey | West Coast Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Temple, 57–68 |
| 1995 | 12 | 21–7 | Dick Davey | West Coast Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Mississippi State, 67–75 |
| 1996 | 10 | 20–9 | Dick Davey | West Coast Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Kansas, 51–76 |
| 2026 | 10 | 26–9 | Herb Sendek | West Coast Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Kentucky, 84–89 (OT) |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 4–8 |
| Round of 64 | 3–3 |
| Round of 32 | 0–1 |
| Round of 8 | 1–1 |
| Semifinal | 3–1 |
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