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St. Bonaventure Basketball: Keys for the Bonnies against UCLA

By Lukas Harkins

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)
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 – MARCH 15: First Four in Dayton
DAYTON, OH – MARCH 15: First Four in Dayton /

Will the Atlantic 10 band together?

The First Four of the NCAA Tournament is always played in Dayton, Ohio. This is the home of the Dayton Flyers, a member of the Atlantic 10 themselves. Obviously, a fair amount of fans from both St. Bonaventure and UCLA will be in the stands, but who will fill out the remainder of the seats? If Dayton fans are able to put their in-season rivalry with St. Bonaventure aside for one night, this could be a very friendly crowd for the team from New York.

NCAA Tournament victories bring in revenue for entire conferences, not just the teams competing. A strong performance by St. Bonaventure (and Davidson/Rhode Island, for that matter) could pay some dividends for Dayton down the road in terms of funding. It might not be the greatest reason to go and support, but what Flyers’ fan really wants to see UCLA win? Heck, what college basketball fan (minus those of the Pac-12) really wants to see UCLA win this game?

St. Bonaventure has a proud athletic tradition that is starting to be rekindled with a potential NCAA Tournament run on the horizon. While it is certainly difficult to become a Cinderella out of a play-in game, you only have to go back a few years to revisit VCU’s magical trip to the Final Four.

I’m not saying that Bonnies are “Final Four good,” but if they get past UCLA, they could surprise some people with another win or two in the Big Dance. Having elite guard play and go-to scorers can be the difference during the final five minutes of a college basketball game. With Matt Mobley and Jaylen Adams, the Bonnies certainly have those.

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All in all, St. Bonaventure is an exciting team that is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. They should be the crowd favorite in this game and that could put them over the edge. It might not feel like a home environment because of how well UCLA travels but the Bonnies should hold a majority advantage inside the UD Arena.

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