By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — Two teams similar in style, game plan and execution, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team hits the road to face Providence for perhaps the biggest challenge of its entire non-conference schedule.
The game, crucially according to coach Mark Schmidt, will be played at a neutral site Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, as a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase, on Dec. 14 with tip-off slated for 5 p.m. The Friars currently sport a 7-4 record in the early goings of the campaign with wins against BYU and an improved DePaul team in their back pocket.
Providence has one of the top defenses in the entire country, ranked 30th in scoring defense and 45th in field goal percentage defense, stifling opposition offenses and not allowing for many second chance opportunities.
Schmidt noted in his pre-game media availability that while the numbers in favor of the Friars are certainly impressive, the key to unlocking their defense is far from complex. For his Bonnies, it is simply about getting the best looks they can on each possession and seeing the ball through the net.
“It’s two good defensive teams,” Schmidt said. “Just like any offense, you want to try to get offense off of your defense, try to get in the open court, and (Providence is) really good in the open court. So … ball security is really, really important. But you got to run good stuff. You got to run it hard. We got to run ball-screen motion, we got to get the ball to the paint and we got to get open shots. And when you get those open shots, we got to knock down a good percentage of them. It’s not rocket science.”
However, Schmidt knows Providence is most likely going to have a similar game plan for his squad.
“It’s just (about) trying to get stuff in the open court, easy baskets when you have numbers, making good decisions, trying to play downhill, trying to get the ball to the paint by the pass or the dribble, very similar to what Providence is going to try to do to us,” Schmidt said. “The team that has more success going downhill is the team that’s going to ultimately win. We’re going to try to keep it in the half court defensively, and try to play a 94-foot game offensively. And I would assume that’s what they’re going to try to do as well.”
And as much of a focal point Providence’s defense seems to be, its offense is nothing to brush aside. Five players on its roster average over seven points per game through 11 games this season. The sixth player who fits this category has only recently returned from injury, but has already proven himself to be one of the leading dangers not only on the Friars roster, but in the entirety of the Big East Conference.
Bryce Hopkins, since making his return to the court, is averaging over 30 minutes, an even 17 points and just under eight rebounds per game. A player that is flexible enough to play a number of different positions on the floor, Schmidt has his players keyed in on stopping Harper but also wary of the space he creates for others.
“(Hopkins) creates a lot of problems,” Schmidt said. “You have to really get feet around him, you really have to hone in on him. And then as you hone in on him, they got really good guards and big guys that are big and athletic. He changes the whole complexion of the team.”
But as imposing a team like Providence may be, they are far from impervious, especially to Atlantic 10 opponents.
The Bonnies will be the third A10 team to square off against the Friars this season, the two previous teams to have done so, Davidson and Rhode Island, both walked away with victories.
In fact, Bona brings in some prestige of its own into the program’s 24th meeting against Providence — a series that it leads 12-11. Since the 2017-18 season, the program has amassed an 11-8 record against Power 4 and Big East opponents, toppling Colorado, Oklahoma and Virginia as recently as the 2022 NIT.
But this record does not mean that Schmidt is taking his foot off the pedal in preparation.
“We approach every game the same way,” Schmidt said. “We schedule a game like this because it’s on a neutral site. It’s like playing in D.C. in the Atlantic 10 tournament. They’re a really good team, a team that, statistically, in terms of their conference, is a higher seed than we are. So, it’s a challenge for us. We want to play those Power 5 or Power 4 and the Big East as many times as we can, on a neutral site. … Having opportunities to play teams of this caliber on a neutral court is beneficial to us, certainly.”
The Bonnies will look towards Chance Moore, who has led the team in scoring in six of its 10 games this season, Dasonte Bowen, who has led the team in assists in six of 10 games as well, and team co-captains Noel Brown and Melvin Council Jr.
“I don’t care who we’re playing, if we don’t play well, we’re going to lose,” Schmidt said. “It’s paramount that we bring our A-game tomorrow afternoon against a really good team that’s well coached (with) really good players. It’s a challenge for us, but we look forward to that. Kids come to Bonaventure to play in types of games like this, and then it gets us ready for the Atlantic 10.”
