St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview
Opponent: University of South Dakota
Date: Saturday, Nov. 9
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure Record (2012-13): 14-15
Bonnies Season Stats (2012-13)
South Dakota Record (2012-13): 10-20
S.D. Season Statistics (2012-13)
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The Game At A Glance: The 94th season of St. Bonaventure University men's basketball begins on a Saturday night inside the Reilly Center in front of what's expected to be an energetic crowd. The Bonnies open 2013-14 with three straight home games -- the next coming Monday night against Abilene Christian -- giving their relatively new-look team a chance to acclimate in front of their passionate fans.
Dominant in Home Openers: Over the last 45 years – since 1967 when the Reilly Center hosted its first complete season – St. Bonaventure is a dominant 44-2 in home openers (43-3 when including a win which was later forfeited during the 2002-03 season). SBU won its first 27 home openers in the RC until a 76-74 loss to Canisius on Dec. 3, 1994. Bona's has won eight straight home openers, dating back to Nov. 23, 2004, when it suffered a 74-58 setback to Marist. Even more impressive, in games which have served as both home and season openers (like this game), the Bonnies have NEVER lost in the Reilly Center, going an emphatic 33-0 in such contests.
Returning & Lost: Lots to Replace: Even the casual fan knows that St. Bonaventure lost a lot from last year's team. In short, with the graduation of Demitrius Conger (14.3 points per game), Eric Mosley (13.2), Chris Johnson (12.6) and Michael Davenport (2.5), the Bonnies lost 58 percent of their scoring. That quartet also accounted for 47 percent of the team's rebounding last year.
Bonnies Cruise by Mansfield in Exhibition: Andell Cumberbatch scored 23 points to lead St. Bonaventure to a 102-57 victory over Division II Mansfield in an exhibition tilt this past Saturday. It was the Bonnies' only exhibition. Matthew Wright added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bonnies, who turned a relatively close game into a blowout by halftime.
2012-13 Recap (14-15, 7-9): St. Bonaventure saw its streak of four straight seasons in some postseason end when it did not qualify for the A-10 Championship Tournament (only the top 12 teams of 16 made it). The Bonnies dropped three close games (Xavier by two, LaSalle in OT, Richmond in OT) in mid-season and then lost a 76-72 decision to Fordham at home on the final day of the regular season. Still, St. Bonaventure finished 7-9 in conference play in a season that was as competitive as any in A-10 history.
Non-Conference Docket: St. Bonaventure's non-conference schedule features two contests against teams which went to postseason tournaments last year -- Niagara (NIT) and Iona (NCAA). The Bonnies will play 13 non-league contests in total – six at home, five in visitor's arenas and three at a neutral site, the Gulf Coast Showcase. St. Bonaventure opens with three straight home games but will then play eight of its next nine away from home starting Nov. 19 at Siena.
Taller Roster: Thanks to adding sophomore Matthias Runs, the Bonnies have one of their tallest teams across the board in years. With none of the team's 13 scholarship players shorter than 6-foot-3, the average height is 6-foot-7. The Bonnies feature a pair of 7-footers in Runs and junior Youssou Ndoye.
Disciplined From The Free-Throw Line: Last year, for the third time in head coach Mark Schmidt's six years at the helm, the Bonnies finished in the top-3 of the Atlantic 10 in free-throw percentage. St. Bonaventure led the A-10 and were 9th nationally at 76.3 percent. The Brown and White were third in the A-10 in 2011-12 (76.1) and also led the conference in 2007-08 (75.2).
Scouting South Dakota
• The Coyotes are coming off a 10-20 season when they finished seventh in the Summit League.
• South Dakota returns seven letter-winners including four starters, but lost their leading scorer, guard Juevol Myles (15.4 points per game).
• Senior center Trevor Gruis, who was the team's leading rebounder (6.1 rpg) and second-leading scorer (12.3 ppg) last year, was selected to the preseason all-Summit League second team.
• Other top returning players are guards Brandon Bos (11.0 ppg), Casey Kasperbauer (8.8 ppg) and Karim Rowson (7.9) and forward Tyler Flack (5.1).
• South Dakota will remain in western New York to meet Canisius in Buffalo on Monday, Nov. 11.
