Kentucky Wildcats vs. Santa Clara Broncos odds, predictions, and betting tips – Santa Clara’s First NCAA Tournament Game Since 1996

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in the tournament, with 2026 marking their fifth-straight appearance. Meanwhile, this is Santa Clara’s first trip in three decades. 

This is, in a way, a David vs. Goliath matchup as Kentucky has been one of the top college basketball programs for decades. 

Will Steve Nash’s alma mater come away with a win? Let’s check it out below.

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara best bets

• Otega Oweh 20+ Points – -198 with FanDuel
• Aleksandar Gavalyugov 2+ 3-Point Shots Made – -166 with FanDuel
• Christian Hammond 15+ Points – -140 with BetMGM

The Wildcats head into this game coming off a loss to the Florida Gators in the SEC Tournament, losing 71-63. In the loss, their leading scorer, Otega Oweh, had just 10 points across 39 minutes.

Before that, though, he had at least 21 points in each of his previous four games. They’re 38th in offensive efficiency (120.5) and 27th in defensive efficiency (99.0). 

They’ll take on a Broncos squad that’s been playing well, but they lost to Gonzaga in the West Coast Tournament, 79-68. They also lost to them during the regular season. They have five players who average eight points per game or more, including leading scorer Christian Hammond (15.8).

Not only that, but the Broncos are a team that passes the ball around a bunch, ranking 34th in assists per game with 16.6. They’re 22nd in offensive efficiency (123.7) and 82nd in defensive efficiency (104.1).

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara preview

Santa Clara is not a team to take lightly. No, they haven’t been in the tournament in a while, but this team moves the ball around, and their offense statistics are fantastic. They’re 29th in the country in points per game (82.8), shoot 56.5% on 2-point shots, and have been shooting 36.8% from beyond the arc over their last three. 

This is a team that led Gonzaga at halftime before ultimately losing, but they’ll be able to keep up with Kentucky. 

Picking a team outright, I’d lean toward Kentucky, but Santa Clara’s passing prowess and multiple scoring threats are too much to pass up on getting 3.5 points.

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara tips

Find the latest odds for Kentucky vs. Santa Clara courtesy of FanDuel. Odds are subject to change.

Otega Oweh 20+ Points

Oweh is coming off a 10-point outing, but he’ll bounce back here. As mentioned, he had 20 points in the four games before their loss to Florida, and on the season, he’s had 20 or more in more than half his games. 

He’s shooting 33.6% from beyond the arc and 50.9% on 2-point shots. He’s averaging 13.6 shot attempts per game and making 6.3 of them. 

The Broncos are allowing teams to shoot 33% from beyond the arc (118th) and 53.2% on 2-point shots (245th). 

Look for Oweh to keep scoring as the Broncos won’t go away easily.

Back Otega Oweh to have 20 points or more against Santa Clara at -198 with FanDuel

Aleksandar Gavalyugov 2+ 3-Point Shots Made

Gavalyugov heads into this game having made two 3-point shots in each of his last three games, including the loss to Gonzaga when he shot a miserable 3 of 13 from the field. 

Kentucky has been pretty solid against 3-point shots, holding teams to just 31.6% (50th), but I think both teams will need to keep up the tempo and scoring as they’re both inside the top 40 in offensive efficiency. 

I’ll take a chance on Gavalyugov’s hot hand and say he gets two.

Back Aleksandar Gavalyugov to have two 3-point shots or more against Kentucky at -166 with FanDuel

Christian Hammond 15+ Points

Hammond has been a bit of a mixed bag lately, but he’s coming off a 24-point game against Gonzaga. He shot 9 of 16 in that game. In the three games prior, he’s shot 33.3% or worse in two of them. 

Hammond is averaging 3.9 3-point attempts per game, and he’s shooting 40%, but he’s also shooting 53.4% on 2-point buckets. 

Kentucky has been allowing teams to shoot 54% on 2-point shots over their last three games. 

Hammond will continue scoring and finish right around his season-long average.

Back Christian Hammond to have 15 points or more against Kentucky at -140 with BetMGM

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara injury report

Below are the key injuries to report ahead of this contest.

Kentucky Wildcats

• Out: Braydon Hawthorne (forward) – redshirt; Jaland Lowe (guard) – undisclosed
• Questionable: N/A
• Doubtful: Jayden Quaintance (forward) – knee

Santa Clara Broncos

• Out: N/A
• Questionable: N/A
• Doubtful: N/A

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara game info

• Date: Friday, March 20, 2026
• Time: 12:15 pm ET
• Venue: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri
• Where to watch: CBS

About the author

Richard Janvrin

Richard Janvrin brings nearly a decade of experience covering sports, sports betting, and everything iGaming. Richard received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism/English from the University of New Hampshire. Throughout his career, Richard has written for sites like Bleacher Report, Forbes, The Game Day, WSN, Gambling.com, and many more.

Find him on Twitter: @RichardJanvrin

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