Early in the 2nd half of its most recent contest, things did not look good for St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball team. Down by eight after a 9-1 opening run by the Duquesne Dukes — the Bonnies needed a spark. They got just that in sophomore guard Jaylen Adams. He led his team right back, scoring 18 points in the 2nd half, helping the Bonnies win 80-76 at the Reilly Center.As the game went on, word spread about the VCU Rams’ ugly loss to the George Mason Patriots.
With the win, St. Bonaventure now sits in the 2nd spot behind a three-way tie between the Dayton Flyers, VCU Rams and St. Joseph’s Hawks for first in the A-10 rankings. Despite the success, ESPN bracketologist, Joe Lunardi, still has the Bonnies in his “First Four Out.” However, if the Bonnies can find a way to win out the regular season, it’s doubtful the NCAA selection committee would keep them from the big dance. That is — if they can win out.
Right now, St. Bonaventure has three regular season games left before the A-10 tournament. The first, a home game vs the UMass Minutemen, a team they beat 88-77 at the Mullins Center. Then, they have a rematch with St. Joes’ at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. Last time St. Bonaventure played Joes, they beat Joes 83-73 at Joes. While Joes has shown themselves to be a solid team in the A-10, St. Bonaventure should come in as a favorite. As for the supposed “neutral court,” it still resides in western New York. Finally, the Bonnies face the St. Louis Billikens, in a rematch at the Chaifetz Arena. Despite playing arguably some of the worst basketball they played all season, the Bonnies still beat the Billikens 65-62 at the Reilly Center.
With wins over Dayton, St. Joes, the Davidson Wildcats and the George Washington Colonials, the Bonnies should be able to run the table on their remaining schedule. These next two weeks will test the Bonnies immensely, as every game should be treated as a “must-win.” If they can’t accomplish this — their tournament hopes aren’t completely squashed. However, they would likely either need to win, or lose competitively in the A-10 tournament championship for the committee to consider them. But if they just take care of business now, the Bonnies may just get an invite to the big dance.
