Men’s hoops beats top teams

The Bronco basketball program opened its 100th anniversary in a big way with headline-grabbing wins over fourth-ranked North Carolina and local rival Stanford during the early part of the season.

Dick Davey, in his 13th season at SCU, led his team to a 77-66 victory over the highly favored Tar Heels in the eighth annual Pete Newell Challenge in Oakland. The win was the program’s first over a top-five ranked team since the 78-69 victory over fourth-ranked and defending national champion UCLA in the first round of the Maui Invitational in 1995. In late November, the Broncos outgunned Stanford by a score of 86-76 in front of a raucous crowd in the Leavey Center. That marked the first win over the Cardinal since the 1989-90 season.

The annual West Coast Conference Championships will return to Santa Clara in March. Like last year, sold-out crowds are expected, so call 408-554-4660 or visit the official athletic Web site at www.santaclarabroncos.com for ticket information.