Kentucky vs Santa Clara: Gritty Broncos Test Wildcats

0:00On March 16, Kentucky earned a number seven seed in the NC double. A tournament and will face the number 10 Santa Clara Broncos Friday afternoon in. St. Louis. The Wildcats are slight favorites in this first round match-up, but Santa Clara brings a gritty style that could test them early. Meanwhile, Broncos' head coach Erb Sendeck knows Kentucky basketball well. He assisted Rick Patino there from 1989 to 1993 and also at Providence. Now in his 32nd season as a head coach, Sendeck just notched his 600th career win with a tournament victory over St. Mary's. Santa Clara plays fast and aggressive, ranking high in offensive rebounding and forcing turnovers with full court pressure. They love to shoot threes with multiple players hitting over 40 percent and run efficient pick and roll sets that play right into some of. Kentucky's defensive struggles. Watch for leading score, Christian Hammond, a sophomore guard averaging nearly 16 points, veteran Elijah Mahi in double figures

1:02and freshmen, stand out Allen Graves. The 6 foot 9 forward earn multiple all conference honors while posting 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game, plus solid 3 point shooting. Kentucky can exploit Santa Clara's lack of rim protection, tendency to foul and poor defensive rebounding even as the Broncos grab second chance. Looks, the cats have the edge in schedule strength and should advance if they handle the pressure.