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

Push the pace

This could be the most important key in this game. Florida is a team that has traditionally played at a slow pace this season (241st in the country) and struggles when taken out of their comfort zone. On average, the team allows around 70 points per game this season. There were 15 games this season in which the Gators gave up more than 70 points to their opponents. In these contests, Florida was just 6-9.

While St. Bonaventure is not a “fast” team in terms of pace (116th in the country), they have the ability to play much faster than Florida. In contrast to the Gators only allowing 70+ points on 15 occasions, the Bonnies scored 70 or more in 28 of their 33 games this season.

Because of this, it is key that the Bonnies get out and run in transition. This will create high-quality shots inside the paint and some solid looks from three on inside-to-outside passes. If St. Bonaventure is forcing Florida into quick possessions that end in missed shots, then the upset alert will be turned on in a hurry.

Next: Upsets to watch for from each seed line

This will be an extremely fun first-round game that will give the winner a chance at reaching the second weekend if they snag a victory.