By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
St. Bonaventure’s Saturday afternoon lost some objective cache when the Davidson Wildcats paused basketball activities due to COVID-19.
The Bonnies were poised to have a direct challenge to their first place Atlantic 10 standing for the second week in a row, either retaining their league lead or being surpassed by the Wildcats by tiebreak. The 8-6 George Mason Patriots, who hold a 4-4 league record, don’t carry the same intrigue on paper.
But there is familiarity, and experience, in this matchup. Nine of the 10 players who started last year’s Homecoming meeting at the Reilly Center will suit up Saturday, with Justin Winston the lone departure. George Mason coach Dave Paulsen, after watching Bonnies guard Dominick Welch put up 14 points and grab 13 rebounds that afternoon, said in his press conference that “I’m sure (Welch) has some bad games but he seems to play really, really well against George Mason.”
Welch and Kyle Lofton are the faces of SBU’s five-game win streak over Mason; Welch has averaged about 14 points against GMU, Lofton 17.2.
The Bonnies have just one loss in this series since Mason joined the A-10. Welch, attempting to return from injury, played just three minutes in the only defeat. A sixth consecutive victory over their counterparts from Fairfax would mark a perfect January for the brown and white.
Paulsen’s veteran squad overcame 20-point defeats to Richmond and Rhode Island earlier this month by topping Saint Joseph’s twice last week, including a double-overtime victory last Wednesday. That win marked the Patriots’ second double-overtime triumph this year; they won at UMass in similar fashion in their A-10 opener, 93-92.
To overcome star center Tre Mitchell‘s Minutemen and come within five points of defeating VCU, you need to be physical. The Patriots are stellar rebounders, tied for 23rd nationally, and have blocked over four shots a night. Sophomore Josh Oduro and senior A.J. Wilson are a tough combination inside, while guards Jordan Miller and Javon Greene not only lead the scoring but also collect five rebounds a contest.
“They’re a very physical team, very big team with Oduro, Wilson and Miller in their front line,” Schmidt noted. “Very physical, very good rebounding team, try to get the ball inside a lot to their posts. We’re third in the league in rebounding, they’re fourth. Their physicality is a huge concern, their rebounding, their size. They run really good stuff, good defensive team. Coach Paulsen does a really good job with them.”
The 6-foot-6 Miller is having a career season, producing nearly 16 points per game and is taking and making 3-pointers (17 of 44) at a higher volume than years past. Wilson stands No. 15 nationally in blocked shots per game.
Along with the contributions of freshman Tyler Kolek, who totaled 47 points over his first three conference games, the Patriots are deep and versatile. Schmidt has taken notice.
“They’ve been there before. They’re not intimidated,” Schmidt said. “They have a lot of experience. Beating a really good UMass team at UMass is a terrific win, beating St. Joe’s in overtime… they have experienced guys. Guys have been through it before; they’re not fazed by close games.
“They’ve got good players, experienced players that aren’t afraid to take that big shots or get that big spot. That’s one of the reasons why they’ve won eight games.”
The Patriots, who scored wins over Division II Queens College, Howard, VMI and Towson in non-conference play, rank 163rd in the NCAA NET rankings. The Bonnies, who enter Saturday’s game with a spot in ESPN’s projected NCAA Tournament field, can match the 1969-70 team’s second-best 10-game start in program history with a victory.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
“They know us, we know them,” Schmidt remarked of George Mason, “so it should be a good college basketball game (Saturday).”
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