PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The St. Bonaventure men's basketball team will face No. 12-seeded La Salle on Wednesday morning (March 11) in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET, and the game will be televised live on USA Network.
 
Fans may purchase single-game tickets by clicking here.
 
BUDDY BUCKETS
Buddy Simmons II has emerged as an elite scoring option in Atlantic 10 play, averaging 17.6 points while shooting 46.4 percent (117-for-252) from the floor and 45.5 percent (56-for-123) from beyond the arc.
 
Simmons II has scored at least 14 points in 13-of-18 A-10 matchups, with 20-or-more points in six of those games and two 30-plus point performances.
 
The Detroit native is tied for the conference lead with 86 three-pointers made on the season. He has made multiple three-pointers in 12 of his last 13 games, and in 25 of the Bonnies' 31 total games. Simmons II's 86 triples is tied for seventh most in a season by a St. Bonaventure player.
 
In conference play, Simmons II has made 56 triples, the most in the A-10. His 35.4 minutes per game lead the league, and he has played a full 40 minutes in eight of SBU's 18 conference games.
 
Simmons II surpassed 1,000 career points in the Bonnies' win at Fordham (Feb. 7). He reached the millennium mark with five points in the first half before surging for 18 in the second half to lead the Bonnies to the win.
 
Simmons II scored 628 points over two years at Gardner-Webb before posting a team-best 449 through 27 games this season. He tallied 539 of his 628 points with the Runnin' Bulldogs during his sophomore season (2024-25).
 
TO BE FRANK
St. Bonaventure forward Frank Mitchell has been one of the most productive players on the boards in the country this season. 
 
Mitchell is averaging 10.5 rebounds per game, which leads all players in the Atlantic 10 conference. As of Monday (March 9), he ranks eighth in Division I with 324 rebounds. He has already climbed to fifth in the Bonnies' leaderboard for total rebounds in a season. He has the most rebounds by a St. Bonaventure player since Glenn Price's 374 boards in 1973-74.
 
A remarkable number of Mitchell's rebounds have come on the offensive end. His 4.48 offensive rebounds per game and 139 total offensive boards lead the nation.
 
Mitchell has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds two games this season, with a season-best 11 against Colgate (Dec. 10) and 10 vs. Ohio (Dec. 13). The forward has at least four offensive boards in each of his last four games.
 
Mitchell is no stranger to the top of the national rebounding leaderboards. In 2023-24 with Canisius, he averaged 11.6 rebounds per game, the fourth-most in Division I. He reached 800 career rebounds in the Bonnies' loss at George Washington on Wednesday (March 4).
 
In the scoring column, Mitchell has scored in double figures in 27 of 31 games this season, with 20-or-more points in 10 of those games.
 
Mitchell has posted seven straight double-doubles entering Wednesday's game.It is Mitchell's second streak of at least six consecutive double-doubles this season. Prior to this season, a St. Bonaventure player had not posted five straight double-doubles in a season since Andrew Nicholson in 2010.
 
In his last three games, Mitchell has combined for 53 points and 47 rebounds, averaging 17.7 points and 15.7 rebounds per game.
 
The Toronto native now more than twice as many double-doubles (19) as the next leading players in the Atlantic 10 (Rikus Schulte, Fordham with nine).
 
SWAT TEAM
Andrew Osasuyi and Joe Grahovac have provided much-needed rim protection off bench this season. Both rank in the top five in the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots per game, with Grahovac ranking fourth (1.61 BPG) and Osasuyi tied for fifth (1.60 BPG).
 
Grahovac and Osasuyi have 50 and 48 blocks on the season, respectively, becoming the only two St. Bonaventure teammates to post 30-or-more blocks in the same season during Mark Schmidt's tenure (2007-present). The two have combined for four-or-more blocks in six of their last eight games.
 
Osasuyi has been extremely efficient in his last eight games, averaging 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 71.9 percent (23-for-32) from the floor during that span.
 
LA SALLE NOTES:

• The Explorers enter Wednesday's game at 14-19, with a 5-13 record in the Atlantic 10.
• Rob Dockery leads La Salle's active players in scoring (11.8 points per game) and rebounding (6.0 rebounds per game).
• The Bonnies dropped their last matchup against La Salle on Jan. 18, 78-74.
• Mark Schmidt is 11-13 against the Explorers in his tenure with the Bonnies.