The Matchup
St. Bonaventure returns to the Reilly Center to host Xavier in a game televised by CBS College Sports Regional. The game will be carried by Time Warner Rochester and Buffalo, FIOS Buffalo and Syracuse, The Comcast Network and Fox Sports Ohio.
Last Time Out
Rhode Island's Marquis Jones made both of his free throw attempts with 7.5 seconds left and the Bonnies turned the ball over on their final possession to give the Rams (11-6, 2-1 A-10) a 56-55 comeback win over St. Bonaventure (9-7, 1-2) Sunday at the Thomas M. Ryan Center. St. Bonaventure junior G Michael Davenport recorded his second double-double of season with career highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds, but the Bonnies were held scoreless over the final 5:31 as the Rams overcame a seven-point deficit.
Coming Up
The Bonnies return to the road to square off against George Washington at Smith Center Jan. 22. The Xavier game begins a home-away-home-away slate that has the Bonnies against at George Washington, vs. Massachusetts and at Fordham in the last of nine January games.
Scouting the Musketeers
Xavier, 11-5 overall and 3-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, has won three straight games and is coming off an 81-76 win over Dayton at Cintas Center on Saturday. Junior Tu Holloway was named the Blackburn/McCafferty Game MVP by the media after scoring 24 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. The Musketeers have four players averaging in double figures in scoring led by Holloway (20.3 ppg.), sophomore Mark Lyons (12.1 ppg.), junior Kenny Frease (12.1 ppg.) and senior Jamel McLean (11.5 ppg.). Holloway, who had a triple-double against Wake Forest, is averaging 20.3 ppg. (second in the A-10 and 22nd in the nation), 4.6 rpg., 5.4 apg. (second in the A-10 and 30th in the nation) and 1.4 spg. (tied for 10th in the A-10). He leads the team in free throw percentage (fourth in the A-10 at 84.3 percent). Frease, who has scored in double figures in nine of the last 12 games, is fourth in the A-10 in field goal percentage at 55.3 percent. Frease hit 7-of-9 shots from the field on his way to 20 points vs. Dayton. Senior Jamel McLean, who leads the team in rebounding at 9.2 rpg (third in the Atlantic 10 and 41st in the nation) to go with 11.5 ppg., has grabbed double-figure rebounds nine times this season. He is third in the A-10 in field goal percentage at 55.7 percent.
Last Meeting
No. 25 Xavier built a 20-point lead just over eight minutes into the game and never looked back as it defeated St. Bonaventure 93-72 Mar. 6, 2010 at the Cintas Center. St. Bonaventure (14-15) finished the A-10 regular season in a tie for eighth place with Duquesne (16-14) at 7-9. Andrew Nicholson hit 9-of-14 from the field for 21 points to lead four players in double figures for the Brown and White. Nicholson scored 14 of his 21 in the second half, while senior Chris Matthews had 10 of his 14 over the opening 20 minutes. Senior Jonathan Hall turned in a solid all-around game with 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Head Coach: Chris Mack
Chris Mack, the 2009-10 Basketball Times Rookie Coach of the Year, was 26-9 in his first season as Xavier's head coach. He was the winningest first-year head coach in Division I for the 2009-10 season and tied the school record for the most wins ever by an XU rookie head coach (26). Mack was the only rookie head coach to lead his team into the 2010 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Mack became the first Xavier head coach to guide XU to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in either his first or second season as head coach.
Series Snapshot
The Bonnies trail Xavier in the all-time series 22-15, including a span of nine consecutive losses that dates back to Jan. 11, 2003. St. Bonaventure last defeated the Musketeers Feb. 9, 2002, the same date as the last home win over Xavier. SBU is 10-5 against Xavier at home.
Streak Ends at 20
Junior Andrew Nicholson had scored in double figures in 20 straight contests – the most by a current A-10 player - dating back to Feb. 27, 2010 against Rhode Island, but against the Rams this season, Nicholson finished with just nine points. Over the 20-game span, which included seven double-doubles, Nicholson averaged 20.7 points and 7.3 caroms per game. Over his last 47 career games, Nicholson has been held to fewer than 10 just seven times.
Shouldering the load
Michael Davenport, who finished with game and career-highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds against Rhode Island, outscored and outshot the rest of his teammates in the 56-55 loss to the Rams. While Davenport was 12-of-19 (2-5 3FG) from the field, the rest of the lineup was 7-for-31 (1-9 3FG) for 27 points. The Cincinnati native also had runs of nine and seven consecutive points in the first half, and made all but three of the Bonnies' 10 first-half FGs.
Windex Man
Although he still leads the team and ranks sixth in the A-10 at 7.9 boards per game, Andrew Nicholson is hauling in just 4.0 rebounds per game over his last five outings. The junior recorded double-digit rebounds in seven of the first nine games of the year, including a string of five straight, but has not grabbed more than seven in a span of six games.
Bouncing Back
Junior G Michael Davenport notched his third career double-double with 28 points and 12 boards to carry the Bonnies against Rhode Island. After starting the season with a 1-for-11 3FG%, he has lifted his percentage from deep to 40.4 percent (23-57). Over his last five games, the Cincinnati native is converting at a team-best 38.9 percent (7-18) from 3-point range and shooting 46.4 percent from the field (26-56).
A Chance to Tie Baron
Jim Baron, the last coach to lead the Bonnies to a postseason tournament (NIT, 2001), posted 48 wins in his first four campaigns. Now in his fourth season on the Bona sidelines, Schmidt and his staff (all of whom eventually worked under Schmidt at Robert Morris) have collected 47 wins…and counting. By number of victories in their first four seasons, here's how it breaks down:
75 Ed Melvin (1948-52)
72 Jim Satalin (1973-77)
67 Jim O'Brien (1982-86)
58 Larry Weise (1961-65)
53 Eddie Donovan (1953-57)
48 Jim Baron (1992-96)
Mike Reilly (1928-32)
47+ Mark Schmidt (2007-Pres.)
24 Anthony Solomon (2003-07)
Aren't You Guys Tired?
Coach Schmidt has deployed the same starting five all season long, and those five players have had the opportunity to play…a lot. Through 16 games, four of the five starters average more than 32 minutes per game and Da'Quan Cook – who leads the team in fouls (3.1/gm) – averages 27.8. Ogo Adegboye leads the nation in minutes per game (40.7) and has played at least 36 minutes in all but one game, including complete-game efforts against Buffalo, St. John's, Niagara, Ark.-Little Rock and Charlotte (3OT). Demitrius Conger has played 90 percent of his team's minutes and is ranked fourth nationally (38.3/gm). Andrew Nicholson was in for the duration against Ohio (60 min, 4OT) and Charlotte (55 min, 3OT).
Oh So Close
The Bonnies' 56-55 loss to Rhode Island was the team's first loss this season in a game decided by five or fewer points (6-1). When allowing just one more point (games decided by 6-10) St. Bonaventure is a paltry 0-4.
Gotta Have the Free Ones
The Bonnies sank a season-high 31 free throws in the 3OT win over Charlotte, including 9 of 10 in the third and final overtime period. As a team, SBU shoots 69.4 percent from the line, good for sixth in the A-10.
And-1 (More)
The Bonnies have actually played the equivalent of one extra game this season when accounting for overtime periods. By point differential (+5 Ohio 4OT, -8 VT OT, +4 Charlotte 3OT), SBU would pull out a one-point victory in that extra game, led by 22 points and six rebounds from Andrew Nicholson and 14 points and six boards from Ogo Adegboye.
Helping Hand
Senior G Ogo Adegboye dished out seven assists and had only three turnovers as the primary ball handler in 45 minutes against Charlotte. It marked the fifth time this season the London native has recorded an A:TO ratio of 2:1 or better. Over his last five games, he has 27 helpers and just 11 turnovers.
Scoring the Rock
Andrew Nicholson ranks 15th nationally in scoring at 20.9 points per game and recorded the NCAA's third-highest scoring output this season with 44 points (on 14-of-19 FGs and 16-19 FTs) in the 4OT win versus Ohio. The junior has raised his scoring average every season in the Brown and White (12.5--16.4--20.9) and his current scoring clip would be the highest for a season since J.R. Bremer averaged 24.6 in 2001-02.
Demitrius Goes Double
Demitrius Conger booked his fourth career double-double with a 21-point 10-rebound effort against the Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock. A rising sophomore who showed flashes of talent last season, Conger has been one of the more consistent performers this season, recording at least eight points and three boards in every game since Nov. 19 at Cornell - where he notched his first career double-double (22 pts, 14 reb).
Going the Distance
St. Bonaventure played the longest game in its 91-year history Dec. 18 versus Ohio, as the Bonnies and Bearcats went to four overtimes (a full 1.5 games). The Bonnies had four players log more than 53 minutes (Adegboye, Conger, Davenport, Nicholson) and redshirt F/C Jake Houseknecht booked 36 minutes for a new career-high. Nicholson played the full 60 minutes – the second game in a row he was not subbed for – and Adegboye (59 mins) played all but one. Five days later, the Bonnies took Virginia Tech to a single OT period.
Return to Sender
Nicholson's rejection at the 6:31 mark of the second period against Ohio made him just the third player in school history to block 150 or more shots in a career. He owns the single-game record (9 vs. Bucknell) for the Bonnies and currently sits third on the SBU career blocks list (155).
#100 for Schmidt
Now in his fourth season at St. Bonaventure, head coach Mark Schmidt coached his 100th game at SBU against Ohio Dec. 18, 2010. Schmidt's .430 (43-56) win percentage entering the game was the highest by a Bonnies' mentor since Jim Baron's .502 (132-131) mark compiled from 1992-01. Schmidt and Baron are the only two coaches to post a win-loss percentage over .400 since the start of the 1987 season.
Seeing Double-Double
The Ohio game marked the fourth time this season that two players have recorded a double-double in the same contest (Cornell, Cleveland State, Niagara). In a counterintuitive twist, the Bonnies are 2-2 in those games. When just one player accomplishes the feat (both Ark.-Little Rock games, Binghamton, Buffalo, St. John's, VT, Rhode Island), the team is 5-2.
Double Down
RS-Junior Da'Quan Cook – who wore #21 last season – posted his second double-double of the year against Niagara. Cook hauled in 10 boards and scored 11 points in that game after a 21-point, 13-rebound effort helped the Bonnies cruise past Binghamton Nov. 21. So far this season, the Bonnies have 16 double doubles from four different players: Nicholson (7), Conger (4), Cook (2), Adegboye (1) and Davenport (2). Earlier this season, Nicholson's streak of five straight double doubles tied for the second-longest in the country.
Climbing the Charts
Nicholson is climbing the St. Bonaventure career records list in his third season. The Mississauga, Ont. native is second on the school's career FG% ledger (.569), ranks third in blocks (153), and now sits in 25th on the all-time scoring list with 1,202 points. He is the 22nd player in school annals to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. The junior also cracked the top 10 in single season free throw attempts (129) against the Rams.
Deja 'Drew
Nicholson hit game-winning jumpers from nearly the same spot on the floor in the Bonnies' wins against UB and St. John's. The Buffalo game winner came with 6.8 seconds left to lift SBU to a 76-74 win, while the jab-step, stepback shot against the Red Storm gave a 67-66 edge with 5.2 left.
Stepping Up
Entering the season, coach Mark Schmidt commented that players other than Nicholson would have to step up for the Bonnies to find success. True to form, each of the other four starters have netted career highs including: Michael Davenport (28 pts vs. Rhode Island), Ogo Adegboye (17 vs. Ark.-Little Rock, 24 vs. Buffalo), Demitrius Conger (22 pts. 14 rebs. vs. Cornell) and Da'Quan Cook (21 pts. 13 rebs. vs. Binghamton).
Riding the Pine
The Bonnies are on the short side of the bench scoring matchup by a wide margin despite their favorable record. Through 16 games SBU has outscored the opposing bench just once (Temple, 8-7). In other all other games: Canisius (-17); Ark.-Little Rock (-10); Cornell (-10); Binghamton (-17); Cleveland State (-3); Buffalo (-9); St. John's (-31); Niagara (-15); Ohio (-18); Va. Tech (-10); Siena (-11); Marshall (-24); Ark.-Little Rock (-15); Charlotte (-10); Temple (+1); Rhode Island (-14).
Nostradamus on Nicholson
Should he record two more seasons similar to those already in the books, Nicholson will notch: 1,849 points (would rank sixth at SBU), 819 rebounds (fifth) and 272 blocks (second). It is also likely that he will become the 22nd player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds (needs one point and 52 rebounds).
NLI Signees
SBU added a pair of guards in the early signing period. Schenectady native Derrick Millinghaus, who currently attends Queen City Prep in Marshville, N.C., is a 1-2 combo guard with an open-court style. Millinghaus will have four years of eligibility, while fellow signee Eric Mosely will have two years remaining. Mosely currently attends Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and spent his freshman season at Austin Peay in 2008-09.
APR Improvement
Mark Schmidt ranks 13th in the nation in NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) improvement, as calculated by Fox Sports. Schmidt is among the top coaches nationally in cumulative improvement of his team APR, a metric used by NCAA officials to track the academic achievement of Division I teams during each academic term. Each student-athlete earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible. A team's total points are divided by points possible and multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's APR score.
Ahead of Schedule?
Now in his fourth season at the helm of the Bonnies, head coach Mark Schmidt is ahead of schedule with respect to his previous head coaching stint at Robert Morris. During his third and fourth season at RMU, Schmidt posted back-to-back seasons with the same number of wins (14) before guiding the team to a record over .500 (15-14). At St. Bonaventure, Schmidt has guided the team to 15 wins in each of the last two campaigns in his second and third seasons with the program. St. Bonaventure has not finished a season over .500 since 2001-02 (17-13).
Chasing .500
After recording a 15-15 mark in 2008-09, SBU fell one game short of .500 last season by booking a 15-16 record. St. Bonaventure enjoyed a streak of 28 consecutive seasons of .500-or-better basketball from 1956-57 to 1983-84, but has just eight such seasons in the last 25. SBU has 63 seasons at or above .500 in 89 years.
A Look Back: 2009-10
The St. Bonaventure University men's basketball team ended the 2009-10 season with a 15-16 overall mark that included a 7-9 record in Atlantic 10 conference play. Third-year head coach Mark Schmidt guided the Bonnies to a No. 8 seed in the A-10 Championship. The Bonnies earned its first postseason win since 2002 by eliminating No. 9 Duquesne, 83-71, in an opening-round game on Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center. The Bonnies have now won 15 games in consecutive seasons after an 8-22 (2-14) showing in Schmidt's first season.
The Matchup
St. Bonaventure returns to the Reilly Center to host Xavier in a game televised by CBS College Sports Regional. The game will be carried by Time Warner Rochester and Buffalo, FIOS Buffalo and Syracuse, The Comcast Network and Fox Sports Ohio.
Last Time Out
Rhode Island's Marquis Jones made both of his free throw attempts with 7.5 seconds left and the Bonnies turned the ball over on their final possession to give the Rams (11-6, 2-1 A-10) a 56-55 comeback win over St. Bonaventure (9-7, 1-2) Sunday at the Thomas M. Ryan Center. St. Bonaventure junior G Michael Davenport recorded his second double-double of season with career highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds, but the Bonnies were held scoreless over the final 5:31 as the Rams overcame a seven-point deficit.
Coming Up
The Bonnies return to the road to square off against George Washington at Smith Center Jan. 22. The Xavier game begins a home-away-home-away slate that has the Bonnies against at George Washington, vs. Massachusetts and at Fordham in the last of nine January games.
Scouting the Musketeers
Xavier, 11-5 overall and 3-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, has won three straight games and is coming off an 81-76 win over Dayton at Cintas Center on Saturday. Junior Tu Holloway was named the Blackburn/McCafferty Game MVP by the media after scoring 24 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. The Musketeers have four players averaging in double figures in scoring led by Holloway (20.3 ppg.), sophomore Mark Lyons (12.1 ppg.), junior Kenny Frease (12.1 ppg.) and senior Jamel McLean (11.5 ppg.). Holloway, who had a triple-double against Wake Forest, is averaging 20.3 ppg. (second in the A-10 and 22nd in the nation), 4.6 rpg., 5.4 apg. (second in the A-10 and 30th in the nation) and 1.4 spg. (tied for 10th in the A-10). He leads the team in free throw percentage (fourth in the A-10 at 84.3 percent). Frease, who has scored in double figures in nine of the last 12 games, is fourth in the A-10 in field goal percentage at 55.3 percent. Frease hit 7-of-9 shots from the field on his way to 20 points vs. Dayton. Senior Jamel McLean, who leads the team in rebounding at 9.2 rpg (third in the Atlantic 10 and 41st in the nation) to go with 11.5 ppg., has grabbed double-figure rebounds nine times this season. He is third in the A-10 in field goal percentage at 55.7 percent.
Last Meeting
No. 25 Xavier built a 20-point lead just over eight minutes into the game and never looked back as it defeated St. Bonaventure 93-72 Mar. 6, 2010 at the Cintas Center. St. Bonaventure (14-15) finished the A-10 regular season in a tie for eighth place with Duquesne (16-14) at 7-9. Andrew Nicholson hit 9-of-14 from the field for 21 points to lead four players in double figures for the Brown and White. Nicholson scored 14 of his 21 in the second half, while senior Chris Matthews had 10 of his 14 over the opening 20 minutes. Senior Jonathan Hall turned in a solid all-around game with 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Head Coach: Chris Mack
Chris Mack, the 2009-10 Basketball Times Rookie Coach of the Year, was 26-9 in his first season as Xavier's head coach. He was the winningest first-year head coach in Division I for the 2009-10 season and tied the school record for the most wins ever by an XU rookie head coach (26). Mack was the only rookie head coach to lead his team into the 2010 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Mack became the first Xavier head coach to guide XU to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in either his first or second season as head coach.
Series Snapshot
The Bonnies trail Xavier in the all-time series 22-15, including a span of nine consecutive losses that dates back to Jan. 11, 2003. St. Bonaventure last defeated the Musketeers Feb. 9, 2002, the same date as the last home win over Xavier. SBU is 10-5 against Xavier at home.
Streak Ends at 20
Junior Andrew Nicholson had scored in double figures in 20 straight contests – the most by a current A-10 player - dating back to Feb. 27, 2010 against Rhode Island, but against the Rams this season, Nicholson finished with just nine points. Over the 20-game span, which included seven double-doubles, Nicholson averaged 20.7 points and 7.3 caroms per game. Over his last 47 career games, Nicholson has been held to fewer than 10 just seven times.
Shouldering the load
Michael Davenport, who finished with game and career-highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds against Rhode Island, outscored and outshot the rest of his teammates in the 56-55 loss to the Rams. While Davenport was 12-of-19 (2-5 3FG) from the field, the rest of the lineup was 7-for-31 (1-9 3FG) for 27 points. The Cincinnati native also had runs of nine and seven consecutive points in the first half, and made all but three of the Bonnies' 10 first-half FGs.
Windex Man
Although he still leads the team and ranks sixth in the A-10 at 7.9 boards per game, Andrew Nicholson is hauling in just 4.0 rebounds per game over his last five outings. The junior recorded double-digit rebounds in seven of the first nine games of the year, including a string of five straight, but has not grabbed more than seven in a span of six games.
Bouncing Back
Junior G Michael Davenport notched his third career double-double with 28 points and 12 boards to carry the Bonnies against Rhode Island. After starting the season with a 1-for-11 3FG%, he has lifted his percentage from deep to 40.4 percent (23-57). Over his last five games, the Cincinnati native is converting at a team-best 38.9 percent (7-18) from 3-point range and shooting 46.4 percent from the field (26-56).
A Chance to Tie Baron
Jim Baron, the last coach to lead the Bonnies to a postseason tournament (NIT, 2001), posted 48 wins in his first four campaigns. Now in his fourth season on the Bona sidelines, Schmidt and his staff (all of whom eventually worked under Schmidt at Robert Morris) have collected 47 wins…and counting. By number of victories in their first four seasons, here's how it breaks down:
75 Ed Melvin (1948-52)
72 Jim Satalin (1973-77)
67 Jim O'Brien (1982-86)
58 Larry Weise (1961-65)
53 Eddie Donovan (1953-57)
48 Jim Baron (1992-96)
Mike Reilly (1928-32)
47+ Mark Schmidt (2007-Pres.)
24 Anthony Solomon (2003-07)
Aren't You Guys Tired?
Coach Schmidt has deployed the same starting five all season long, and those five players have had the opportunity to play…a lot. Through 16 games, four of the five starters average more than 32 minutes per game and Da'Quan Cook – who leads the team in fouls (3.1/gm) – averages 27.8. Ogo Adegboye leads the nation in minutes per game (40.7) and has played at least 36 minutes in all but one game, including complete-game efforts against Buffalo, St. John's, Niagara, Ark.-Little Rock and Charlotte (3OT). Demitrius Conger has played 90 percent of his team's minutes and is ranked fourth nationally (38.3/gm). Andrew Nicholson was in for the duration against Ohio (60 min, 4OT) and Charlotte (55 min, 3OT).
Oh So Close
The Bonnies' 56-55 loss to Rhode Island was the team's first loss this season in a game decided by five or fewer points (6-1). When allowing just one more point (games decided by 6-10) St. Bonaventure is a paltry 0-4.
Gotta Have the Free Ones
The Bonnies sank a season-high 31 free throws in the 3OT win over Charlotte, including 9 of 10 in the third and final overtime period. As a team, SBU shoots 69.4 percent from the line, good for sixth in the A-10.
And-1 (More)
The Bonnies have actually played the equivalent of one extra game this season when accounting for overtime periods. By point differential (+5 Ohio 4OT, -8 VT OT, +4 Charlotte 3OT), SBU would pull out a one-point victory in that extra game, led by 22 points and six rebounds from Andrew Nicholson and 14 points and six boards from Ogo Adegboye.
Helping Hand
Senior G Ogo Adegboye dished out seven assists and had only three turnovers as the primary ball handler in 45 minutes against Charlotte. It marked the fifth time this season the London native has recorded an A:TO ratio of 2:1 or better. Over his last five games, he has 27 helpers and just 11 turnovers.
Scoring the Rock
Andrew Nicholson ranks 15th nationally in scoring at 20.9 points per game and recorded the NCAA's third-highest scoring output this season with 44 points (on 14-of-19 FGs and 16-19 FTs) in the 4OT win versus Ohio. The junior has raised his scoring average every season in the Brown and White (12.5--16.4--20.9) and his current scoring clip would be the highest for a season since J.R. Bremer averaged 24.6 in 2001-02.
Demitrius Goes Double
Demitrius Conger booked his fourth career double-double with a 21-point 10-rebound effort against the Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock. A rising sophomore who showed flashes of talent last season, Conger has been one of the more consistent performers this season, recording at least eight points and three boards in every game since Nov. 19 at Cornell - where he notched his first career double-double (22 pts, 14 reb).
Going the Distance
St. Bonaventure played the longest game in its 91-year history Dec. 18 versus Ohio, as the Bonnies and Bearcats went to four overtimes (a full 1.5 games). The Bonnies had four players log more than 53 minutes (Adegboye, Conger, Davenport, Nicholson) and redshirt F/C Jake Houseknecht booked 36 minutes for a new career-high. Nicholson played the full 60 minutes – the second game in a row he was not subbed for – and Adegboye (59 mins) played all but one. Five days later, the Bonnies took Virginia Tech to a single OT period.
Return to Sender
Nicholson's rejection at the 6:31 mark of the second period against Ohio made him just the third player in school history to block 150 or more shots in a career. He owns the single-game record (9 vs. Bucknell) for the Bonnies and currently sits third on the SBU career blocks list (155).
#100 for Schmidt
Now in his fourth season at St. Bonaventure, head coach Mark Schmidt coached his 100th game at SBU against Ohio Dec. 18, 2010. Schmidt's .430 (43-56) win percentage entering the game was the highest by a Bonnies' mentor since Jim Baron's .502 (132-131) mark compiled from 1992-01. Schmidt and Baron are the only two coaches to post a win-loss percentage over .400 since the start of the 1987 season.
Seeing Double-Double
The Ohio game marked the fourth time this season that two players have recorded a double-double in the same contest (Cornell, Cleveland State, Niagara). In a counterintuitive twist, the Bonnies are 2-2 in those games. When just one player accomplishes the feat (both Ark.-Little Rock games, Binghamton, Buffalo, St. John's, VT, Rhode Island), the team is 5-2.
Double Down
RS-Junior Da'Quan Cook – who wore #21 last season – posted his second double-double of the year against Niagara. Cook hauled in 10 boards and scored 11 points in that game after a 21-point, 13-rebound effort helped the Bonnies cruise past Binghamton Nov. 21. So far this season, the Bonnies have 16 double doubles from four different players: Nicholson (7), Conger (4), Cook (2), Adegboye (1) and Davenport (2). Earlier this season, Nicholson's streak of five straight double doubles tied for the second-longest in the country.
Climbing the Charts
Nicholson is climbing the St. Bonaventure career records list in his third season. The Mississauga, Ont. native is second on the school's career FG% ledger (.569), ranks third in blocks (153), and now sits in 25th on the all-time scoring list with 1,202 points. He is the 22nd player in school annals to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. The junior also cracked the top 10 in single season free throw attempts (129) against the Rams.
Deja 'Drew
Nicholson hit game-winning jumpers from nearly the same spot on the floor in the Bonnies' wins against UB and St. John's. The Buffalo game winner came with 6.8 seconds left to lift SBU to a 76-74 win, while the jab-step, stepback shot against the Red Storm gave a 67-66 edge with 5.2 left.
Stepping Up
Entering the season, coach Mark Schmidt commented that players other than Nicholson would have to step up for the Bonnies to find success. True to form, each of the other four starters have netted career highs including: Michael Davenport (28 pts vs. Rhode Island), Ogo Adegboye (17 vs. Ark.-Little Rock, 24 vs. Buffalo), Demitrius Conger (22 pts. 14 rebs. vs. Cornell) and Da'Quan Cook (21 pts. 13 rebs. vs. Binghamton).
Riding the Pine
The Bonnies are on the short side of the bench scoring matchup by a wide margin despite their favorable record. Through 16 games SBU has outscored the opposing bench just once (Temple, 8-7). In other all other games: Canisius (-17); Ark.-Little Rock (-10); Cornell (-10); Binghamton (-17); Cleveland State (-3); Buffalo (-9); St. John's (-31); Niagara (-15); Ohio (-18); Va. Tech (-10); Siena (-11); Marshall (-24); Ark.-Little Rock (-15); Charlotte (-10); Temple (+1); Rhode Island (-14).
Nostradamus on Nicholson
Should he record two more seasons similar to those already in the books, Nicholson will notch: 1,849 points (would rank sixth at SBU), 819 rebounds (fifth) and 272 blocks (second). It is also likely that he will become the 22nd player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds (needs one point and 52 rebounds).
NLI Signees
SBU added a pair of guards in the early signing period. Schenectady native Derrick Millinghaus, who currently attends Queen City Prep in Marshville, N.C., is a 1-2 combo guard with an open-court style. Millinghaus will have four years of eligibility, while fellow signee Eric Mosely will have two years remaining. Mosely currently attends Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and spent his freshman season at Austin Peay in 2008-09.
APR Improvement
Mark Schmidt ranks 13th in the nation in NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) improvement, as calculated by Fox Sports. Schmidt is among the top coaches nationally in cumulative improvement of his team APR, a metric used by NCAA officials to track the academic achievement of Division I teams during each academic term. Each student-athlete earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible. A team's total points are divided by points possible and multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's APR score.
Ahead of Schedule?
Now in his fourth season at the helm of the Bonnies, head coach Mark Schmidt is ahead of schedule with respect to his previous head coaching stint at Robert Morris. During his third and fourth season at RMU, Schmidt posted back-to-back seasons with the same number of wins (14) before guiding the team to a record over .500 (15-14). At St. Bonaventure, Schmidt has guided the team to 15 wins in each of the last two campaigns in his second and third seasons with the program. St. Bonaventure has not finished a season over .500 since 2001-02 (17-13).
Chasing .500
After recording a 15-15 mark in 2008-09, SBU fell one game short of .500 last season by booking a 15-16 record. St. Bonaventure enjoyed a streak of 28 consecutive seasons of .500-or-better basketball from 1956-57 to 1983-84, but has just eight such seasons in the last 25. SBU has 63 seasons at or above .500 in 89 years.
A Look Back: 2009-10
The St. Bonaventure University men's basketball team ended the 2009-10 season with a 15-16 overall mark that included a 7-9 record in Atlantic 10 conference play. Third-year head coach Mark Schmidt guided the Bonnies to a No. 8 seed in the A-10 Championship. The Bonnies earned its first postseason win since 2002 by eliminating No. 9 Duquesne, 83-71, in an opening-round game on Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center. The Bonnies have now won 15 games in consecutive seasons after an 8-22 (2-14) showing in Schmidt's first season.
