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St. Bonaventure Basketball: How do the Bonnies match up with Florida?

By Lukas Harkins

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 13: Mobley
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 13: Mobley /
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St. Bonaventure basketball is coming off of their first NCAA Tournament win in 48 years. How can the Bonnies build on that and upset Florida?

March 13th was a great day for St. Bonaventure basketball fans. For just the first time since 1969-70, when the team lost in the Final Four, the Bonnies came away with an NCAA Tournament victory. The team was led on the night by Courtney Stockard, who has been a man possessed over the last few weeks. He dropped in a game-high 26 points in the win over UCLA to keep his hot streak alive.

Over his last five games, the sophomore is averaging 23.8 points, 7.8 rebounds per game, and 2.4 steals per game. These numbers look even better when you consider his 60.0% inside the 3-point arc and his 48.0% accuracy beyond it. If St. Bonaventure is going to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, his continued stretch of excellence is a must.

However, he is far from alone. Jaylen Adams (19.4 points) and Matt Mobley (18.4 points) are typically the go-to scorers for head coach Mark Schmidt. When Stockard is playing well, though, the scoring burden is lightened for the top duo on the squad. That is what makes the tertiary option so important for the Bonnies.

With a difficult matchup coming up in the No. 6 seed Florida Gators, the Bonnies are going to need every part of the three-headed monster they employ to be ready to go. The 11-over-6 upset is one of the most common in the NCAA Tournament and Rhode Island winning this game would not be a major surprise.

Here are some key notes on Florida heading into this matchup with St. Bonaventure (via Sports-Reference, KenPom, and Haslametrics):

  • Overall record: 20-12 (11-7 SEC)
  • Key performers: Jalen Hudson (15.3 points), and Chris Chiozza (11.2 points, 6.1 assists).
  • Offense: No. 101 in scoring offense (76.1 ppg) and No. 37 in adjusted offensive efficiency
  • Defense: No. 100 in scoring defense (69.4 ppg) and No. 27 in adjusted defensive efficiency
  • Pace: Tempo ranks as the 241th-fastest in the country (66.7 possessions/40)
  • Consistency: No. 326 in the country

Now, let’s take a look at some of the keys to this game for the Bonnies.

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