Kentucky vs Santa Clara: Coaches' History in Spotlight

0:00On March 16, Kentucky faces Santa Clara in the NCAA tournament on Friday afternoon in St. Louis. It's the first time the Wildcats play a West Coast conference team. Both head coaches share deep ties to the program. Erb Sendeck assisted at Kentucky under Rick Patino, right alongside current Wildcats coach Mark Pope. Sendeck built an impressive resume after leaving Kentucky. He led Miami of Ohio to a tournament upset over Arizona. At North Carolina State, he earned five straight bids and a sweet 16 run. He coached James Hardin at Arizona State before landing at Santa Clara in 2016. Fans are buzzing about the coach's history. Sendeck's teams hold a three-to-one edge over Pope Squads from West Coast conference match-ups when Pope was at Brigham Young. Santa Clara returns to the tournament after a 30-year absence, last appearing when Steve Nash ran the point. The Broncos points their ticket with a key win over St. Mary's in the conference in my finals. Extra days before tip-off, give them time to prepare against the powerhouse Kentucky squad.

1:03This match-up pits familiar foes in a high-stakes spotlight, promising a tense battle as both teams chase a tournament breakthrough.