Santa Clara rolled over Utah Tech 90-80 in one of the most exciting mid-major matchups of the week. However, the spotlight isn’t on the win, but on a major fight that broke out during the game. With just under 90 seconds left in the second half, Santa Clara forward Allen Graves had a poster dunk over Chance Trujillo, triggering a major reaction from the Utah Tech sophomore.

At 6-foot-9, 225 pounds, Graves had a significant advantage over the 6’4 Trujillo. After picking up the ball near the three-point line, he drove through the open lane. Trujillo was waiting in the paint as Graves jumped for the dunk from well beyond the basket and hammered it home over the guard. Graves embarrassed the Snow College and Weber State transfer with his dunk and stayed in his ear on the way back to defense. There is a possibility that Graves may have talked trash after getting his highlight. 

As Graves started to walk away, Chance Trujillo punched him from behind, and the fight broke out. Graves tried to retaliate, but he was restrained by one of their assistant coaches and a teammate. Naturally, the referees stepped in to cool the situation and ejected Trujillo immediately (per ESPN).

The frustration from Chance Trujillo could be from his own disappointing performance on the day, rather than just a spur-of-the-moment reaction. Trujillo walked out having scored 8 points while shooting 4-12 from the field and 0-7 from the three-point line. Trujillo is averaging 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds this season. 

On the other end, Graves had an impressive game. Starting for just the 3rd time this season, the freshman tied his season high of 13 points while adding 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 assists. Bukky Oboye, Aleksandar Gavalyugov, and KJ Cochran each scored 14 points to round out the win for Santa Clara. The Broncos improved to an 8-1 start after this win, which is historic in another sense. There is a feeling that this team will possibly return to the March Madness on the back of this start. 

Santa Clara Boss Herb Sendek Downplays Possible NCAA Berth

The Broncos haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1996, when they were led by Steve Nash. They’ve had a winning percentage of .600 in six straight seasons. While the odds are perpetually not in their favor since they share the mid-major West Coast Conference with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, this winning start gives them hope. However, Coach Sendek is focused on doing the simple things instead of chasing the highs. 

“What steps do you think it would take to ensure you get a bid in the (NCAA) tournament?” Asked a media member. “We can’t do anything to do that. I mean, we can’t. All we could do is play the next game and try to win as many as we can.” Sendek said. “There’s nothing more or nothing less that we can do. Keep working as hard as we can to learn, to improve, and try to win as many games as we possibly can. And that’s all we could do. And by the way, that’s all anyone can do.”

While Sendek muffles the NCAA talk, they can have a clear shot at a bid. Currently, the team is struggling with some injuries. Michigan State transfer Gehrig Normand hurt his foot on the first day of practice and hasn’t appeared in a Santa Clara shirt. Chris Tadjo underwent season-ending surgery. 

Redshirt junior Jake Ensminger, who earned a spot on the 2023-24 All-Freshman Team, has missed Santa Clara’s last two games. Their leader, Christian Hammond, missed the Utah game with an injury. Despite a few missing pieces, they have crept up to No.50 on KenPom for the first time in the history of the site, per Steven Carr. The games against Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s will be crucial in this goal but if they continue this development, an upset is possible.