Opening Tip: St. Bonaventure travels to VCU for its regular season finale'. The Bonnies, who are tied with La Salle for eighth place in the A-10 standings at 6-9, have been off since last Saturday's loss to Saint Joseph's. This will be St. Bonaventure's first visit to the Siegel Center.
The Series: This will be the fourth meeting in a series that St. Bonaventure leads 2-1. The Bonnies and Rams met in the late 1970s twice (3/4/78 and 2/19/79) with St. Bonaventure winning both times; last year on Jan. 12 at the Reilly Center, VCU came away with a 72-65 win.
The Last Meeting: Jan. 12, 2013 at the Reilly Center: VCU 72, St. Bonaventure 65. Treveon Graham scored 17 points to lead a balanced VCU offense as the Rams outlasted the Bonnies.
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 104-108 (7th season)
Overall: 186-198 (13th season)
Vs. VCU: 0-1
VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart
At VCU: 134-44 (5th season)
Overall: same
VCU Scouting Report:
• The Rams defeated Richmond at the Robins Center on Thursday night, 56-50, for their third straight win. VCU is tied with Saint Joseph's for second place in the A-10 at 11-4, a game behind Saint Louis and a game ahead of UMass and GW.
• VCU is well-known for its up-tempo, pressing style, evidenced by the Ram's Division I high 11 steals per game. Guard Briante Weber leads the nation in steals with 109 (3.6/game).
• VCU's regular rotation features 10 players who all average at least nine minutes per game. Guard Treveon Graham leads VCU at 15.5 points per game followed by forward Juvonte Reddic (12.5) and reserve guard Melvin Johnson (10.5). Johnson shoots 40 percent from three-point range.
Last Time Out: Bonnies Fall to Saint Joseph's: Last Saturday on Senior Day at the Reilly Center, Saint Joseph's made 14 of 22 shots and went 13-16 at the free throw line in the second half to outlast the Bonnies, 83-74. St. Bonaventure led by one with 15 minutes left in the game but the Hawks used an 8-0 run to pull ahead for good. Matthew Wright led all scorers with 27 points; he also had four assists and three steals. Marquise Simmons (13), Charlon Kloof (11) and Youssou Ndoye (10) also reached double figure points.
Wright Heats Up; Reaches 1,000 Point Mark: Senior Matthew Wright has been a key to the Bonnies' success all season but even more so over the past month. Over the last 10 games, Wright averaged 19.1 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range and 83 percent (50-60) at the free throw line. For the year, the senior shooting guard ranks seventh in the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 16.5 points per game and has scored in double figures 21 times. He leads the A-10 in free throw shooting percentage at .883. March 1 against Saint Joseph's, Wright's game-high 27 points included the 1,000th point of his career. He is the 40th player in the 93-year history of the program to reach the milestone. Wright now has 1,016 points.