Blog

     ESPN  columnist  and Bona alum Charlie Creme has the Bonnies on the NCAA tournament  watch, under the category "Next Four Out."  If SBU can do some  damage in the  conference tournament, the Bonnies might be dancing  in  March.     

    Here's the remaining  schedule with a breakdown  of each game until the end of the season. (Conference  standings  can be found at the bottom.)

      If the Bonnies win out, they  will be 12-2 in the  conference and clinch the second seed in the  tournament, based on the  head-to-head match up with Charlotte.    

     This schedule, at first glance, seems like it  could allow  SBU do just that. However, five games are an eternity  in college basketball.  Here's a breakdown of St. Bonaventure's  last five contests.

     Fordham didn’t  win a game last year. This year they’ve won  8. However, they’ve  only won one game in conference, and that was a three-point  game  at La Salle. Fordham’s ranked 14th in the league in scoring offense  (53.5),  and SBU’s ranked 2nd in scoring defense (55.9). The  Bonnies should handle  Fordham no problem, 76-45.     

     Duquesne in  the Reilly Center should be a good game. The  Bonnies snuck by  the Dukes 61-55 in the Palumbo Center earlier this season. The  last  three games between the two schools have been decided by 6 points  or less.  The Bonnies won each of those games. The Dukes currently  lead the A-10 in  scoring at 69.8 points per game. The Bonnies,  on the other hand, are only giving  up 55.9. As coach Crowley said  after the Rhody game, his players are learning  how to lean on  defense to win the close games. I think that will happen here.  Chalk  this one up for the Bonnies, 67-62.    

     Going to D.C. to tip-off with the Colonials scares me.  After what  happened in the RC last year, I’m sure the GW players haven’t  forgotten. GW is 11-3 at home this season, with the three losses  coming to: No.  7 Tennessee; No. 10 Auburn; and Richmond, a team  the Bonnies lost to. Former GW  coach Joe McKeowan may have left  the conference, but he didn’t take his players  with him. George  Washington takes this one, 57-53.

     St. Louis’ Theresa Lisch leads the conference in scoring  at  20.4 points per game, but the Billikens still don’t have a record  above .500.  St. Bonaventure hasn’t lost to a team with a losing  record all season. The  lowest RPI out of SBU’s six losses is  74 (Oakland). St. Louis’ RPI: 190.  Hopefully, the Bonnies won’t  have any travel legs on them. They should win this  game easily,  75-59.    

     When the 49ers dig their  way into Bob Lanier Court, the  Bonnies will be ready. This game  could be the difference, depending on what the  rest of the conference  does, between a 2, 3, 4 or 5 seed for the Brown and  White. Charlotte  has run the table since losing to Xavier in its first  conference  game of the year. In those 8 games, the 49ers beat their opponents  by  an average of 11.75 points per game. In the four road wins,  they’ve won by an  average of 13.5. All of these numbers are  fine and dandy, but the Wolfpack will  be out in droves that night  to support its team. And we all know how tough it is  to play in  the RC when it gets loud. I might be off my rocker, but the RC will  be a magical place on the last day of February. Bonnies win this  game, 64-60,  and take at least a 3 seed in the tournament.

     The coaching staff and the players have worked  hard to put  this program in a position to make it to its first  post-season birth, whether  the NCAAs or the WNIT. The conference  tournament is in Charlotte this year, and  there’s a huge contingent  of Bona Alumni in North Carolina. Maybe some of those  proud grads  will make their way toward Halton Arena to support the  Bonnies.    

      If you can't make it, listen to the games  right here at  WSBUFM.NET or over the airwaves on 88.3-FM in the  Allegany/Olean area.

Atlantic 10 Women's  Basketball Standings:
  1.  Xavier                        9-0   (21-4)
  2.  Charlotte                     8-1  (17-6)
  3.  St. Bonaventure          7-2   (18-6)
  4.  George Washington    6-3   (14-10)
       Temple                       6-3   (15-8)
  6.  Richmond                   5-4   (17-7)
  7.  Dayton                       4-5   (15 -10)
       Duquesne                   4-5   (14-10)
       Saint  Louis                4-5   (10-14)
  10. Massachusetts           3-6   (10 -14)
        Saint  Joseph's          3-6   (11-13)
  12. Rhode Island             2-7   (9-15)
  13. Fordham                   1-8   (8-16)
        La  Salle                   1-8   (10-14)