By JOE CERAULO
DAYTON, OH – The St. Bonaventure Bonnies have their dancing shoes on for the first time since earning a #14 seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament.
This year the Bonnies didn’t clinch an automatic bid by winning the Atlantic 10 conference tournament. Instead they earned their way to an at-large bid with a grueling non-conference schedule, a nationally televised win over a ranked Rhode Island team and a 13-game win streak that recently ended at the hands of Davidson.
While the First Four probably isn’t where a team ranked 23 in RPI (tied with Gonzaga) with more RPI top-50 wins than Michigan State belongs, the Bonnies are going to make the most of this experience.
They still have that tournament snub from 2016 fresh in their minds, and this special group is ready to make the most of this season’s opportunity.
As if a tournament appearance wasn’t big enough, this matchup with UCLA has special historical significance for the Bonnies.
In 1970, St. Bonaventure was primed to face UCLA in the national championship game until Bob Lanier suffered an injury against Villanova in the Elite Eight. Without the three-time All-American, they fell to Jacksonville in the Final Four.
Tuesday’s date with the Bruins is due to the hard work by this team’s senior backcourt, as well as the emergence of guys like Courtney Stockard, LaDarien Griffin and Amadi Ikpeze who have all played a major role for the Bonnies for the first time this season.
Throughout the team’s 13-game win streak, Stockard was the glue on the court holding this team together. He averaged over 15 points and over seven rebounds during that stretch.
After missing the last two seasons due to injuries, Stockard has emerged as the missing piece to get St. Bonaventure over the hump.
“It feels good to be out there competing with my guys,” Stockard said. “I owe them everything.”
He’ll be crucial in providing secondary scoring Tuesday night as the backcourt matchup of Jaylen Adams and Aaron Holiday will be an exciting one.
Both guards averaged right around 20 points per game this season, and they know each other well after both working out for the Atlanta Hawks last year prior to the NBA draft.
The Bruin that the Bonnies should be most worried about is 7-foot center Thomas Welsh.
Throughout the senior big man’s first three years at UCLA, he attempted just a single three-point shot. This season he has emerged as a threat from beyond the arc, converting on 41 percent of his 110 threes.
With his ability to step out on offense and still control the defensive glass, Welsh averaged a double-double this season.
Despite having one of the best backcourts in the tournament, Tuesday’s outcome will likely come down to the ability of Ikpeze and Griffin to shut down Welsh and control the glass against the fifth tallest team in the country.
This First Four matchup is expected to tip off at 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTV.
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