# 1995–96 Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball team

The 1995–96 Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball team represented Santa Clara University in the 1995-96 Season. Led by head coach Dick Davey, the Broncos finished with a record of 20–9, and a regular season record of 19–8, placing first in the West Coast Conference. After losing in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament to Pepperdine, the school received an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, where they beat Maryland in the first round, before being ousted by Kansas in the Round of 32. Throughout the season, Canadian point guard Steve Nash was a standout performer for the Broncos, winning his second consecutive WCC Player of the Year. Following the season, Nash would enter the NBA draft, being selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns. In his NBA career, Nash would play two tenures with the Suns, being named MVP twice, he would also play for the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 20, 1995* | | vs. No. 4 UCLA Maui Invitational Tournament | W 78–69 | 1–0 | 21 – Garnett | – | – | Lahaina Civic Center Maui, Hawaii |
| Nov 21, 1995* | | vs. No. 3 Villanova Maui Invitational Tournament | L 65–77 | 1–1 | – | – | – | Lahaina Civic Center Maui, Hawaii |
| Nov 22, 1995* | | vs. Michigan State Maui Invitational Tournament | W 77–71 | 2–1 | 23 – Nash | – | – | Lahaina Civic Center Maui, Hawaii |
| Nov 25, 1995* | | vs. Oregon State | W 50–45 | 3–1 | – | – | – | Rose Garden Portland, Oregon |
| Dec 1, 1995* | | vs. San Jose State | W 79–51 | 4–1 | – | – | – | San Jose Arena San Jose, California |
| Dec 9, 1995* | No. 25 | Southern | W 98–53 | 5–1 | – | – | 15 – Nash | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Dec 12, 1995* | No. 22 | Fresno State | W 66–58 | 6–1 | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion (4,826) Santa Clara, California |
| Dec 16, 1995* | No. 22 | at Marquette | L 49–78 | 6–2 | 11 – Tied | – | – | Bradley Center Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Dec 18, 1995* | | at Illinois State | W 80–78 | 7–2 | – | – | – | Redbird Arena (7,883) Normal, Illinois |
| Dec 22, 1995* | | Pacific | W 75–70 | 8–2 | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Dec 29, 1995* | | vs. Penn State Cable Car Classic | L 49–70 | 8–3 | – | – | – | San Jose Arena San Jose, California |
| Dec 30, 1995* | | vs. Georgia Tech Cable Car Classic | W 71–66 | 9–3 | – | – | – | San Jose Arena San Jose, California |
| Jan 12, 1996 | | Gonzaga | W 72–61 | 10–3 (1–0) | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Jan 13, 1996 | | Portland | W 86–66 | 11–3 (2–0) | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Jan 19, 1996 | | at Loyola Marymount | L 62–71 | 11–4 (2–1) | – | – | – | Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, California |
| Jan 20, 1996 | | at Pepperdine | W 87–76 | 12–4 (3–1) | – | – | – | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, California |
| Jan 26, 1996 | | Pepperdine | L 69–72 | 12–5 (3–2) | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Jan 27, 1996 | | Loyola Marymount | W 78–60 | 13–5 (4–2) | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Feb 1, 1996 | | at San Francisco | W 70–57 | 14–5 (5–2) | – | – | – | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Feb 3, 1996 | | at San Diego | L 63–74 | 14–6 (5–3) | – | – | – | USD Sports Center San Diego, California |
| Feb 9, 1996 | | San Diego | W 72–52 | 15–6 (6–3) | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Feb 10, 1996 | | San Francisco | W 65–41 | 16–6 (7–3) | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Feb 14, 1996 | | at Saint Mary's | W 79–65 | 17–6 (8–3) | – | – | – | McKeon Pavilion Moraga, California |
| Feb 18, 1996 | | Saint Mary's | W 64–61 | 18–6 (9–3) | – | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| Feb 14, 1996 | | at Portland | L 71–80 | 18–7 (9–4) | – | – | – | Chiles Center Portland, Oregon |
| Feb 24, 1996 | | at Gonzaga | W 77–71 | 19–7 (10–4) | – | – | – | The Kennel Spokane, Washington |
| WCC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 2, 1996* | | Pepperdine WCC Tournament quarterfinals | L 60–63 | 19–8 | 25 – Nash | – | – | Toso Pavilion Santa Clara, California |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 15, 1996* | (10 W) | vs. (7 W) Maryland First Round | W 91–79 | 20–8 | 28 – Nash | 9 – Dunne | 12 – Nash | ASU Activity Center Tempe, Arizona |
| Mar 17, 1996* | (10 W) | vs. (2 W) No. 4 Kansas Second Round | L 51–76 | 20–9 | 10 – Dunne | 8 – Tied | 6 – Nash | ASU Activity Center Tempe, Arizona |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||

## Awards and honors

* Steve Nash – WCC Player of the Year

## Team players in the 1996 NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 15 | Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns |