By SPENCER BATES
BUFFALO — The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team is gearing up for its fifth game in just 12 days — no small challenge.
Having to go on the road to face a formidable Buffalo side that has yet to find itself on the losing end of a fixture this season makes it all the more of a test.
Fortunately, its most recent matchup, against Div. II Bloomsburg, helped smooth over a lot in terms of furthering the understanding of the system, getting some players back on track, and seeing what some players can do with quality minutes on the floor.
“Bloomsburg was a game for team chemistry, so everybody can play,” Bona head coach Mark Schmidt said. “It’s about getting those guys in that haven’t played a lot, that’s what you play that game for. We played four games in nine days, so it’s important that we have a game like that where it’s not as stressful, it’s not as physical. We can get a win, but everybody can play.”
The first two seasons the Bulls had under head coach George Halcovage III, they finished with three and nine wins respectively. There’s no doubt his tenure had a sputtered start. But thanks to some excellent work in the portal combined with his ability to retain key players, Halcovage has his eyes on continuing the upward trajectory of his program.
“In this whole portal thing, they’ve done a really good job of fitting pieces in,” Schmidt said. “A lot of times you can bring a lot of guys in and they don’t fit, the chemistry is bad. But they’ve done a really good job of keeping the guys they wanted to keep, those guys have gotten better, and then bringing guys in that fit what they’re trying to do.”
Buffalo currently sits at 8-0, just one win shy of their total number of wins from last season. But it is not because the Bulls scheduled soft to start the year, in fact they have nicked quality wins over Big East member DePaul and America East powerhouse Vermont along the way.
“George has done a terrific job with them,” Schmidt said. “They struggled the last couple years. … They really shoot the ball well from 3s, they take care of the ball with less than 10 turnovers (per game). They run really good ball screen stuff. They make good reads. There’s a reason why they’re 8-0. They got good players, a good system, and they’re well coached.”
So far this season, Buffalo has shown that it has very few weaknesses when it comes to the offensive side of the floor. They attempt nearly as many 3-pointers as they do two-point field goals, and they have been effective with both types of shot. This, of course, promises to cause problems for the Bona defense, which will need to be sound in its rotations if it is to have any chance at slowing down its hosts.
“They take 24 (3-pointers) per game, which is not a ton, but they make nine out of 24,” Schmidt said. “You got to be able to keep the ball in front of you, got to be able to guard ball screens. If not, then they’re going to get into the paint. And as we all know, kick-out 3s are the easiest ones to make. So, transition defense, keeping them in front, keeping them out of the paint so they can’t drive and kick and hit those 3s, that’s a part of how to defend them.”
Buffalo’s biggest contributor to their high-octane offense is Daniel Freitag. A sophomore transfer Wisconsin, he is putting up an average of 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game all while shooting over 44% from the field (40.8% from 3). But what makes him all the more a threat is his ability to get to the charity stripe. Freitag is currently tied for the 11th most free throw attempts by any Div. I men’s basketball player this season with 72 through eight games.
“He can shoot 3s and he can go off the dribble,” Schmidt said of Freitag. “That’s why he’s dangerous. He can do (more than) one thing. He can get to the basket, he has a good pull-up game, he can shoot the ball from beyond the arc and gets to the foul line. He’s had a great first eight games, and he’s a good player. If both him and (Ryan) Sabol dominate us, then it’s going to be a long day.”
The other danger men for Buffalo include returners Sabol, Tim Oboh and Noah Batchelor. Sabol, in his third year with the Bulls, is averaging 14.9 points and three assists per game. Oboh and Batchelor are each in year two with Halcovage. The former is contributing 6.9 points and 2.6 rebounds while the latter is adding 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest.
First-year player Angelo Brizzi has also shined in moments this year, averaging 13.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-high 2.3 steals per game.
If the Bonnies are to cap Buffalo’s win streak at eight — and score their third consecutive win over the Bulls — they will need one of its most stout defensive outings yet. With weapons all over the floor, one momentary lapse could cause everything to spiral out of control.
St. Bonaventure will tip-off against Buffalo for a Big 4 rivalry matchup at 2 p.m. on Dec. 6.
