St. Bonaventure Basketball: Keys for the Bonnies against UCLA

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 15: The St. Bonaventure Bonnies cheerleaders perform in the game against the Saint Joseph's Hawks during the Semifinals of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 15, 2014 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OH – FEBRUARY 20: Adams (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Win the Battle of the Backcourts

St. Bonaventure

The backcourt play in this game will be huge. It is a strength of both teams and could end up playing a pivotal role in who comes out on top. For St. Bonaventure, they are led by two elite guards in the form of Jaylen Adams (19.8 points) and Matt Mobley (18.5 points). These guys both have the ability to erupt at any moment and are the go-to scorers for the Bonnies whenever needed. In addition, they are veteran leaders who have no issue being assertive when operating with the ball in their hands.

Of course, they also have no trouble letting it fly from deep. Both Adams (45.7 3P%) and Mobley (38.3 3P%) are deadeye shooters from 3-point range with absolutely no hesitation. Combined, the duo attempt 14.6 trifectas per game. With these two attempting nearly 70% of the team’s total 3-point shots this season, it is no surprise that the team ranks 20th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 39.8%.

UCLA

On the flip side, UCLA has a talented backcourt of their own. Leading the way for head coach Steve Alford is junior Aaron Holiday. After playing an under-the-radar role in each of the last two seasons, Holiday has burst onto the scene this season as one of the best guards in the nation, averaging 20.3 points and 5.8 assists per game. Although somewhat turnover prone (3.6 giveaways per game), Holiday is a highly-efficient scorer who gets it done inside the arc (48.6 2P%) and out (43.3 3P%).

The other key backcourt players to mention for the Bruins are Jaylen Hands and Prince Ali. Both underclassmen, these two had to play large roles this season in the absence of guys like Bryce Alford and Lonzo Ball from last year. While Hands has been dealing with an ankle injury as of late, Ali has stepped into the starting lineup, a role he was already used to playing for much of the season.

On the offensive end, Ali is the slightly more efficient option. He averages 9.0 points per game on 43.8% shooting from the field (36.2% from three). However, Hands is a better all-around play. For the season, he put up 10.1 points on 40.7% shooting (37.5% from three) while adding 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

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