2010-11 Basketball Game Preview: Virginia Tech vs. St. Bonaventure

Virginia Tech heads north tonight to take on a dangerous St. Bonaventure team
in a neutral site game at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. The Hokies could
use another neutral court win for RPI purposes, and this will be a prime
opportunity.

The Bonnies are similar to Virginia Tech from a depth standpoint. They have
just 11 players on their roster, and only nine of those have played in a game
this season. Starting point guard Ogo Adegboye averages 40.7 minutes per game,
thanks to a recent quadruple overtime win against Ohio.

St. Bonaventure has lost to Canisius, Cleveland State and Niagara, but they
also have a road win at St. John’s. Their starters play a lot of minutes, and
they have good size, but they have no depth whatsoever.

The Bonnies have good size in their frontcourt with Andrew Nicholson and
Da’Quan Cook. Nicholson is averaging a double-double, and he recently had 44
points in the quadruple overtime win against Ohio. He is shooting 58.4% from the
field, 74.7% from the free throw line, and he’s also capable of knocking down
the three-pointer if left open.

Nicholson is the probable Atlantic-10 Player of the Year, and could be a
second round draft pick if he comes out after this season. He is St.
Bonaventure’s version of Malcolm Delaney, and he rarely comes off the court.

Da’Quan Cook played a high level of prep school basketball, starting his
career at St. Patrick’s in New Jersey and ending it at the Miller School in the
Charlottesville, VA. He plays 26.2 minutes per game, the least of any St.
Bonaventure starter. He will split time with Jake Houseknecht (6-9, 210, r-So.)
and Brett Roseboro (6-10, 230, So.). Those two players combine for just 1.2
points per game, so they aren’t major scoring threats.

The biggest scorer off the St. Bonaventure bench is Matt Wright (6-4, 190,
Fr.). He averages 2.3 points per game, and he is shooting just 25% from the
field.

The Bonnies have a good backcourt with Ogo Adegboye at point guard, and
Michael Davenport and Demitrius Conger on the wings. All three of those players
can score, and they can all knock down the outside jumper. Combined, they have
made 43 of St. Bonaventure’s 48 three-pointers on the season.

Virginia Tech must continue their streak of taking good care of the
basketball, and they must capitalize on the Bonnies’ tendency to turn the ball
over. For the season, St. Bonaventure has 111 assists and 158 turnovers, a bad
ratio. Every one of their starters has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio,
including point guard Ogo Adegboye.

The Hokies are moving the ball well offensively, and they have been very good
in transition offense over the last two games. With Erick Green in the starting
lineup, Tech scored 79 points against Penn State and 88 points against
Mississippi State. Green runs the court well, he has a knack for knowing when to
pitch the ball ahead, and he has not committed a turnover in the month of
December. He is the right choice for Tech’s starting point guard at this point
in the season.

St. Bonaventure does play good defensive, allowing opponents to shoot just
39.9% from the field. They are also nearly +8 per game in rebounding margin.

The Bonnies were picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the A-10, but they
look like a better team than that right now. However, as the season goes on
their depth problems could really cause them trouble.

This is a dangerous game for Virginia Tech, but if they play with the
intensity they have displayed the last two games, they should be able to leave
for the Holidays with a win.