Bonnies reach MSG intent on winning NIT

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

They exited the Atlantic 10 Tournament with a gut punch. St. Bonaventure, the preseason favorite in the conference, went to Washington with hopes of defending its title and moving on to the Big Dance. It all ended in heartbreaking fashion, as Kyle Lofton missed two free throws with under two seconds remaining, sending the Bonnies home on the short end against Saint Louis.

Two days later the NIT would come calling. Coach Mark Schmidt reached out to his team to gauge its feelings about playing in the NIT. The Bona mentor recalled how in 1999, he was an assistant at Xavier under the late Skip Prosser. Xavier went to the NIT Final Four, dropping a heartbreaker to Clemson before routing Oregon in the consolation game. Schmidt remarked that the entire experience was one of the highlights of his coaching career. Schmidt’s Bonnies, featuring five senior starters, embraced the opportunity and challenge. They were all in on the NIT.

The Bonnies were sent to Colorado for the first round. They defeated the Buffaloes, 76-68. Next up was a trip to Oklahoma where St. Bonaventure again prevailed, 70-68. Two days later, they were in Virginia for the quarterfinals. Lofton’s two free throws with seconds left, followed by Osun Osunniyi’s rejection at the buzzer, sealed a 52-51 victory and ticket to New York. By the time the Bonnies arrived in Charlottesville, they had traveled 5,559 miles in less than seven days.

Xavier had a solid year before losing five of its last seven regular season games. The Musketeers dropped a first-round game against Butler in the Big East tournament due to poor free throw shooting in the stretch. Xavier accepted an NIT bid and defeated Cleveland State in the first round. The following day, head coach Travis Steele was surprisingly fired, with assistant coach Jonas Hayes was promoted to interim head coach. Sean Miller will return to Xavier next season, but Hayes will finish out the season. Xavier, which played all three rounds at home, defeated Florida in the second round. The Musketeers lost point guard Paul Scruggs to an ACL injury against Florida. Xavier then defeated Vanderbilt to earn the trip to Madison Square Garden.

It is an interesting matchup at the Garden prior to Washington State meeting Texas A&M in the other contest. St. Bonaventure and Xavier have a history extending prior to their days as A-10 adversaries. Xavier defeated the Bonnies in the NIT semis en route to the 1958 championship, and the overall series dating back to 1955 sees Xavier with a 25-16 edge. However, St. Bonaventure won 11 of 15 between 1960 and 1974. Xavier won 12 of the last 13 contests before exiting the league after the 2013 season. The one loss on Xavier’s record was the 2012 Atlantic 10 championship game, in which the Bonnies prevailed, 67-56, in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, to secure the first A-10 title in program history.

St. Bonaventure is making its 17th NIT appearance and seventh trip to the tournament semifinals. Its most recent semifinal appearance was in 1977, when the Bonnies captured the championship. Xavier is in its ninth NIT, and first semifinal since the aforementioned 1999 tournament.

The Bonnies rely on their iron five starters, each of whom averages double-figure points per game, with Jalen Adaway (15.7) leading the way. Jaren Holmes (13.4) can penetrate and break down a defense. Lofton (12.7) has handed out 165 assists against 76 turnovers. Dominick Welch (11.9) is a 36 percent 3-point shooter, and Osunniyi (11.3) is the leading rebounder (7.7 RPG) and shot blocker with 90 rejections. Abdoul Karim Coulibaly has been effective of late, spelling Osunniyi when he gets in foul trouble.

Xavier counters with 6-foot-9 Zach Freemantle (13 PPG in NIT play). Seven-foot junior Jack Nunge is an inside threat with the ability to step outside. Senior Nate Johnson is scoring at an 11.0 point-per-game clip in NIT play, and sophomore Colby Jones, at 6-foot-6, is a strong rebounder. Jones is scoring more productively as of late, contributing 13.9 points on average over the last nine games. Dwon Odom, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, has taken Scruggs’ place at the point.

The two teams have a history, as noted, dating back 67 years. The present sees some similarities. Xavier, despite faltering down the stretch, has seen new life in the NIT and seized the second chance. Schmidt’s Bonnies were dealt a tough hand by the committee, with three road games, yet never complained. Schmidt’s in-it-to-win-it mantra has earned full buy-in from the Bonnies, who have epitomized the survive-and-advance concept.

Notes:

● Bona alumni raised over $50,000 over the weekend to secure eight coach buses to take students to New York. Approximately 400 students will be on those buses. Add several hundred more getting to New York on their own, and you have over one-third of the 2,100 undergraduate enrollment at St. Bonaventure venturing to the Garden on Tuesday.

● Add the alumni coming out in numbers and MSG may be renamed, at least for a short time, “Reilly Square Garden.”

● “The goal was to take one game at a time. We needed to win three to get to the Garden. Playing at the Garden is a dream for every kid. We accomplished that goal by winning a game at a time. We got to Madison Square Garden, and now we are not satisfied. We want to win it.” - Mark Schmidt