Broncos vs. Bulldogs: Two Jesuit schools, both founded in the 1800s, two rich sports histories. A rivalry was inevitable.
Both Santa Clara and Gonzaga University have produced NBA draft picks. The Broncos’ most recent first-round picks were Jalen Williams ’23 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022 and Brandin Podziemski ’25 to the Golden State Warriors in 2023; Gonzaga sent Anton Watson to the Boston Celtics in the second round in 2024. And both produced All-Star point guards: Steve Nash ’96 and John Stockton.
Gonzaga games reliably pack the Leavey Center with SCU-red-and-white supporters. Although, if we’re being honest, it’s long felt a bit one-sided, no?
Historically, Gonzaga University has dominated Santa Clara men’s basketball on the court. The scrappy bulldogs from Spokane, Wash., have won 30 of the last 36 games against SCU over the past two decades. Santa Clara is ranked 55th in the NCAA and fourth in the West Coast Conference, while Gonzaga is ranked 11th and second, respectively. SCU has appeared in 11 NCAA basketball tournaments. Gonzaga has appeared in 26. You get the point.
Now that Gonzaga has announced its departure from the West Coast Conference to join the Pac-12 in July 2026, Santa Clara is racing the clock to rack up as many wins as possible.
They started with an upset on the Zags’ home court on Jan. 18, 2025. It was the Broncos’ first victory in Spokane in 18 years, and their first true road win over a top 25 team since 1993 (against UC Berkeley). SCU sunk 18 three pointers—the second most in its history, and the most Gonzaga has ever given up at home.
Tyeree Bryan ’26 was responsible for seven of those, and led scoring with a career-high 35 points. The 103-99 win was the most points the Broncos have ever scored against Gonzaga.
Had he ever had a game as good as this? Maybe in high school, Bryan joked. “I kept my head in the game so I didn’t have time to process what was happening,” he said during a post-game recap. “But it felt good.”
This was the second SCU win against Gonzaga after a long, 26-game losing streak. In January 2024, the Broncos beat the Bulldogs, 77-76, with a last-minute shot, at home at Leavey in front of a full-capacity crowd that included SCU legends Nash and former longtime coach Dick Davey. But in late February of this year, SCU attempted to defend their winning streak on their home turf and fell to Gonzaga 76-95.
Here’s to hoping we score a few more wins before the Zags leave the WCC, and our storied rivalry, next year.