By Mike Hogan, Staff Writer
The St. Bonaventure Bonnies men’s basketball team seemed to be dead in the water to many fans. But, suddenly, the tide turned. The team went on a hot streak and the Bonnies defeated Rhode Island in dramatic fashion at the Reilly Center for eight in a row. Then, the Bonnies put their fans through a triple overtime heart attack victory over Davidson. The winning streak reached 12, and again the NCAA tournament talk was tangible.
As the NCAA tournament talk keeps mounting as Selection Sunday nears.Flashbacks from two years prior, when many Bonnies fans will tell you “The Bonnies were snubbed,” of a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Mark Schmidt has been preaching a “game seven” mentality to his team over the course of this 12-game win streak due to missing out two years ago. Schmidt and his team know they can’t leave any doubt on Selection Sunday and so do the fans.
Freshman journalism and mass communication major Jeff Uveino gave his thoughts on the Bonnies heading into the Atlantic 10 tournament and where his hopes for an at-large NCAA tournament bid now stands.
“I think it is looking good right now,” said Uveino. “With the 12-game win streak that we have right now, I think we are sitting in a good spot to get an invite to the big dance. The Atlantic 10 tournament should be interesting. We will most likely have to play Davidson again, and that matchup scares me after the triple overtime game that we had. I think we have a tough path, but anything can happen in March, as we have seen before.”
While the NCAA tournament hopes are undoubtedly high amongst many Bonnies fans right now, Uveino also voices some concerns that he has for this team heading into tournament time.
“I think inexperience is a big weakness for us,” said Uveino. “Nobody on the Bonnies has played in the NCAA tournament before. The pressure is on in March, and I’m concerned as to how they will handle it. But you see Cinderella teams come out of nowhere every year, and I think we are definitely capable of making a good run.”
Freshman journalism and mass communication major Sean Mickey is also confident and without worry as of now, but thinks the Bonnies still have a little work left to do.
“I don’t think we have much left to prove,” said Mickey. “If you look at it, we have beaten good teams during non-conference play, and we have a good record in quadrant one and quadrant two play. I also think that our current 12-game conference winning streak will play into our favor. At the same time, I think getting upset in our first game of the Atlantic 10 tournament could hurt us, so if we win another game or two, we can avoid sweating it out during the selection show.”
The quadrant system has become a big part of this year’s tournament conversation. The quadrant system is used to determine how good each teams victories are. There are four quadrants, quadrant one being the category where a teams strongest of victories are placed, and quadrant four being the category where a teams weakest of victories are placed. St. Bonaventure is currently 3-2 in quadrant one play, and 4-2 in quadrant two play.
Mickey also gave his insight on the Bonnies path to the A10 title game this weekend in Washington, D.C.
“I think we have a tough path,” said Mickey. “Duquense and Richmond are both capable of winning some games, but I think we will end up getting to round three against Davidson. Based on last game, that is a toss up, and it will be fun to see the Bonnies and Davidson go at it again.
In regards to the Bonnies A10 championship hopes, Mickey gave his insight on what the team needs to do in order to hoist the A10 championship trophy on Sunday.
“I think we have to keep playing tough defense, and other guys have to step up on the offensive end. It can’t just be Jay and Matt, or else we could be in some trouble.”
The Bonnies are headed to Washington D.C. with a lot at stake. A trip to the title game and potentially an automatic NCAA tournament bid are in sight for the team for the first time since 2012. The NCAA tournament hype among fans is at its peak, but the “game seven” mentality will remain as many Bonnies fans pray that the snubbing of two years ago doesn’t come back to haunt them for a second time.
The Bonnies first Atlantic 10 tournament game in Washington, D.C. is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. against either Duquense or Richmond at Capitol One Arena.
