By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
St. Bonaventure’s loss to Connecticut in Newark last Saturday was not, by any definition, a “bad loss.”
UConn ranked 15th in the NCAA’s NET ranking as of Monday evening, comfortably making the Huskies a “Quadrant 1” neutral site opponent on Bonaventure’s current postseason résumé. A Kyle Lofton-less Bona team lost by just 10 points, trailing by six with 1:14 remaining.
The Bonnies ensured in compiling their challenging non-conference schedule that no one loss would sink them in March. Their Charleston Classic championship looms larger now, as does their victory over Mid-American Conference frontrunner Buffalo.
SBU’s loss did, however, make senior guard Jaren Holmes “hungrier… straight hungrier” for the next top-quadrant opportunity. The Bonnies don’t have to wait long- just until finals week is over.
The Virginia Tech Hokies, despite dropping to 7-4 with a loss at Dayton on Sunday, stand 37th in the NET metric; the top 50 teams are in the “Quad 1” tier in a neutral environment, like Charlotte’s Spectrum Center on Friday.
Part of Bona’s top 30 NET finish last year included four Quad 1 wins: Richmond at the Robins Center; Davidson at the Belk Center; and Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinal. UConn has enough opportunities in the Big East to stay among the top 50, while Virginia Tech hits the North Carolina triangle after Charlotte to visit Duke and UNC.
The A-10’s current Quadrant 1 opportunities are Davidson, away or at a neutral site; Saint Louis at Chaifetz Arena; and VCU at Siegel Center. Bona does not visit Davidson in the regular season. It does go to SLU and VCU, although neither team is solidly in the top 75; VCU, in fact, is 74th, and Bona doesn’t play the Rams until March 1.
Bonaventure’s opportunities at marquee, seed-boosting wins slim dramatically in A-10 play, where six of the 14 conference members currently represent Quad 4 defeats even on the road.
A good sign for one of Bona’s rare remaining signature games, then, is star point guard Kyle Lofton’s expected return to the court. Lofton participated in practice yesterday, according to the @SBUnfurled Twitter account, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on the telecast last Saturday that Bona hoped UConn was the last game Lofton missed.
Lofton’s return is not only a difference-maker for Bona both offensively and defensively, it makes a difference in the perception of the team as a whole. Holmes, perhaps factoring in that reality but more likely just ready to finish tackling the stress of final exams, could not hide his anticipation for Friday.
“Honestly, we’re looking forward to next Friday,” Holmes commented after the UConn game. “That’s what we’re truly excited about, playing Virginia Tech. We’re gonna talk about this loss right here for this 24 hours and then we’re right back to work. I know ‘Shoon is ready to get back in the gym; I’m ready to get back in the gym; I know Kyle’s hungry to get back on the court.
“I know everybody in that locker room is ready to get back; so is Coach Schmidt. So we’re right back to the drawing board. We’re not hanging our head on this.”
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