Santa Clara Broncos vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/20/2026

Game Time: 12:15 pm ET, Friday, March 20, 2026

Venue:  Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO 

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Santa Clara +3.5, Kentucky -3.5; Over/Under:  160.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Santa Clara +3.5, Kentucky -3.5; Over/Under:  160.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Santa Clara +2.5, Kentucky -2.5; Over/Under:  160.5 points

Santa Clara Broncos:  26-8 (15-3) (3rd place, WCC)

Kentucky Wildcats:  21-13 (10-8) (9th place, SEC)

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Santa Clara Broncos:  3-2  last 5

Kentucky Wildcats:  2-3  last 5

Santa Clara is entering this game with a 26-8 record overall, a 15-3 record in conference games, and they are 4-4 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in their last game. Christian Hammond led the team in points in that game with 24 while Allen Graves was next on the team with 11. Sash Gavalyugov led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Allen Graves led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 38.2% from the field, 26.5% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.4 PPG against them. Santa Clara has an ATS record of 17-15-1 this season and their O/U record is 19-13-1.

Kentucky is entering this game with a 21-13 record overall, a 10-8 conference record, and they are 3-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Florida Gators in their last game. Denzel Aberdeen led the team in points in that game with 17 while Mouhamed Dioubate was next on the team with 14. Denzel Aberdeen led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Malachi Moreno, Denzel Aberdeen, and Otega Oweh each led the team in rebounds with 5. They were 35.6% from the field, 21.7% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 80.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.8 PPG against them. Kentucky has an ATS record of 17-17 this season and their O/U record is 17-17.

The current betting odds have Kentucky listed as a 3.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 21-13 record overall and their 10-8 conference record which had them in the top half of the SEC. They haven't looked great in their neutral site games though with their 3-3 record in those. Meanwhile, Santa Clara has looked really good in their games this season with their 26-8 record overall and their 15-3 conference record which had them right near the top of the WCC. They have also had trouble in neutral site games though, going 4-4 in those. Santa Clara has had a solid season with some good wins under their belt, but they did play in a weaker conference and they also have some bad losses under their belt too. They had some trouble in the preseason with their neutral site games and they haven't been rolling lately either, going 3-2 in their last 5 games but coming off a loss to Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament and having trouble against some of the top teams in their own conference. Kentucky hasn't looked any better as they are 2-3 in their last 5 games and are off a loss to Florida in the SEC Tournament, but they didn't look bad in that loss. They put up a really good fight against the best team in their conference and even though they were a middle of the pack team in the SEC, they still played in and performed well in a much stronger and deeper conference. Kentucky is also riddled with a lot more talent than Santa Clara and they have the pedigree of being a consistent tournament team, so they aren't taking an early exit in the 1st round here. The best way to place a bet here is on Kentucky to cover the spread in this game. 

Santa Clara Kentucky Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, March 20, 2026 (12:15 pm ET start time) is Kentucky 88 Santa Clara 78.

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Santa Clara Broncos: 5-0 ATS as a neutral court underdog of 6 points or less or pick. 12-4 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 8-3 ATS after 3 or more consecutive unders. 5-1 OVER when the total is 160 to 169.5. 

Kentucky Wildcats: 5-10 ATS in all tournament games. 4-7 1H ATS as a neutral court favorite or pick. 18-37 1H ATS versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game. 19-13 OVER when the total is 160 to 169.5.

Santa Clara Broncos:  None.

Kentucky Wildcats:  B. Hawthorne (F) Out - Redshirt. J. Lowe (G) Out - Undisclosed. J. Quaintance (F) Doubtful - Knee.

“Obviously I’m familiar with Big Blue. Very aware that they have a very talent-rich team, they have an outstanding coach, and we’re excited for the opportunity to go play. Not playing until Friday gives us an opportunity to dive in and do the very best job we can with our preparation.” - Herb Sendek on his team playing Kentucky in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. 

“I’ve played Santa Clara a bunch. (Sendek) is playing different. The full-court pressure is new for him. His personnel is way different than it was a few years ago. There’s a little bit of familiarity. Most importantly, you just know he’s an elite-level coach, he’s a big-time game planning guy. He’s really going to have his guys ready to go. Then you learn everything you need to from the film and the numbers.” - Mark Pope on his team playing Santa Clara in the 1st game of the NCAA Tournament. 

J. Ensminger 

C. Hammond 

B. Knapper 

E. Mahi 

B. Oboye

D. Aberdeen 

C. Chandler 

A. Jelavic 

M. Moreno 

O. Oweh

PPG: Christian Hammond (15.8)

APG: Jake Ensminger (2.9)

Reb/G: Allen Graves (6.5)

PPG: Otega Oweh (18.2)

APG: Denzel Aberdeen (3.6)

Reb/G: Malachi Moreno (6.4)

Coaches:

Santa Clara Broncos: Herb Sendek (10th season)

Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Pope (2nd season)