A column by CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
Saturday afternoon, when Duquesne visits the Reilly Center, begins a critical 15-day stretch that will determine St. Bonaventure’s seeding in the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Coach Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies could finish anywhere from the bottom six in the conference and be forced to play in the dreaded opening round or, though it’s a longshot, could also sneak into the Top 4 and earn a double bye.
Currently, the Bonnies, 18-9, are 6-8 in the A-10 after winning their first two league games then falling into a funk where they lost eight of 11 before getting a much-needed victory last Saturday at Massachusetts.
St, Bonaventure is tied for ninth in the conference with George Washington, which beat the Bonnies at the RC and at UMass, site of their most recent victory.
In the 15-team Atlantic 10, finishers in the 10th through 15th positions play in the three opening-round games March 12 at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena.
Could St. Bonaventure tumble to that tail-end group? It doesn’t seem likely though Duquesne hung a 75-57 defeat on the Bonnies in Pittsburgh courtesy of 14 treys.
That bid for a double bye?
Clearly, the Bonnies would have to win out to go 10-8 and have Dayton and or Loyola collapse to 9-9 or 8-10, hardly a likely scenario.
However, Dayton has the tougher schedule as it plays at Loyola and VCU while Loyola, besides Dayton is also at Saint Louis.
After the win at UMass on Saturday, the last time the Bonnies will face the Minutemen who are leaving the A-10 to join the Mid-American Conference, a decision necessitated by football, Schmidt was clearly thinking ahead to tournament seeding.
“We’ve got to get better,” he said. “We’ll give them a couple of days off (of the bye week) then get back to work. We play two games (Saturday at the RC versus Duquesne) and the fiollowing Wednesday at Saint Joe’s and then have (another) week off, so we’ve got to take advantage of the time getting healthy and getting better.”
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
Read more on the Bills and Bonnies from Chuck:
• Part II: McDermott is building a team to win the Super Bowl, not beat the Chiefs
• It was a different McDermott this season
• A look back at the ‘Super’ Bowl
• Pollock prediction on the Super Bowl and his annual quiz
• Part 2: What does Brandon Beane have to do to make the Buffalo Bills better?
• Part 1: Buffalo Bills’ GM Brandon Beane discusses 2024 season
Don Scholla, the passing of an Icon
• A huge win over Dayton for the Bonnies
• The Chiefs still have the Bills’ number
• Pollock Prediction: Chiefs 28, Bills 25 (actual score 32-29)
• Allen and the Bills heading to the AFC Championship game
• Josh Allen wants to hear Mr. Brightside against the Ravens
• Win over Richmond gets St. Bonaventure Bonnies ready for A-10 matchup with Duquesne
• Offensive line of the Buffalo Bills knocked out the Broncos
• Pollock Prediction: Broncos loom as a threat but the Bills will win
• McDermott knew the Bills would host the Broncos
• The Bills are waiting to see who they play
• Where the St. Bonaventure victory over VCU ranks in program history
• Josh Allen showed why he should be the NFL MVP
• Pollock Prediction: Bills will beat Jets in a must-win game for playoff seeding
• What happened during those six lost days
• Bills didn’t play with a sense of urgency against the Patriots
• Bills passed a big test against the Lions
• The media missed the point with questions of McDermott
• We did not expect the Rams-Bills results as Josh Allen sets major records
• Will the Bills be motivated against the Rams?
• Schmidt doesn’t want the Bonnies to get caught up in 12-1 talk
• A look at the rise under Sean McDermott
• The snow and the Buffalo Bills were too much for the 49ers
• St. Bonaventure Bonnies put unbeaten hoops record on the line in ESPN Tournament
• Pollock Prediction on San Fran at Buffalo Sunday night game
• A look at Terry Pegula’s beginnings in Olean and his competitive drive to win
• A look at McDermott’s smart play-calling and why aren’t we talking more about James Cook?
• Can the Bills do this to the Chiefs in the playoffs? Josh Allen touchdown run seals victory
• Pollock predicts a one-point Kansas City victory
• What happened to this being a rebuilding season for the Buffalo Bills?
• A dominating performance by the Bills
• Pollock predicts a Bills victory over the Colts on the road
• Thoughts on the 61-yard Bass field goal and where the Bills sit
• Solid win to open the season for the Bonnies
• Bass vindicated by 61-yard field goal to beat the Dolphins
• Bills don’t own the Dolphins but have an option to buy; prediction 27-20 (final was 30-27)
• The season is here for St. Bonaventure basketball
• St. Bonaventure speaks out, “We got Woj”
• Mark Schmidt on the NIL deals and the Bona NIT mess
• Pollock on the passing of St. Bonaventure legend Paul Hoffman
• Pollock on listening to the radio and the days of Willie Mays
• Houghton’s Phil Stockin gets Cazzie Russell to the Castle in Olean and then a title for the Knicks?
• The right hire for St. Bonaventure to lead the athletic department
• The inside story on why WPIG left the Bonnies after 74 years and a Gary Nease update
• Bill Walton was must-see basketball when he played in Buffalo for the Braves
