Santa Clara has turned around its season. Can the Broncos make a case for the NCAA Tournament?

It’s probably tempting for Carlos Stewart Jr. and his Santa Clara teammates to look back at what might have been early this season. The Broncos began the year at 3-5 with four defeats that easily could have gone the other way:

— An 81-74 loss to Arizona State in the Nov. 8 opener in which Santa Clara had the lead with 3 1/2 minutes to play

— An 88-80 overtime loss to North Dakota State on Nov. 13 when the Broncos led by five with less than 10 seconds left in regulation

— A 71-69 home loss to Stanford on Nov.