RICHMOND, Va. — Coming off their best win of the season at VCU, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies turn their attention six miles westward, where they will face the Richmond Spiders at the Robbins Center Wednesday night.
The Bonnies have stayed in Virginia’s capital since Friday to avoid unnecessary travel, meaning their current stay in Richmond will be the longest trip of the season.
Bona has even held practices on Dick Tarrant Court, which can only help this young team grow acclimated to the depth perceptions of the Robbins Center. That said, it’s been business as usual for the Bonnies.
“It’s not a big difference,” Mark Schmidt said when I asked about his team’s extended stay in Richmond. “We don’t do anything. We practice and have team meals. Practice and have team meals. It’s just like being at home. We have study hall too. Instead of staying in your dorm room, you are staying in a hotel room. We do the exact same stuff. I sit in my hotel room and watch tape. I would be doing the same thing in my office. There’s no difference.”
Wednesday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Bona has already played the Spiders this season, as the Brown and White prevailed over Richmond 71-64 at the Reilly Center on Jan. 14.
But as the adage goes, it is hard to beat a team twice.
It’s even more difficult to beat Richmond on their home floor, where they have lost just twice this season.
And yet, this Spider team has struggled as of late. Richmond has lost three games in a row, and four of their last five, which includes their loss at the Reilly Center.
VCU and UMass defeated Richmond by 12 and nine points, respectively. Then, last Saturday, the Dayton Flyers rolled over the Spiders by 26, dropping Chris Mooney’s team to 11-11 on the season and 4-5 in conference play.
“It’s so hard to win any game in the Atlantic 10,” said Schmidt, whose Bonaventure squad also has an 11-11 record. “Richmond has played a tough stretch, but they played against good teams. Winning on the road is very difficult, so we expect their best. But we would expect their best if they were on a three-game winning streak too. For us to win or be competitive, we need to play really, really well. Like every team in this league, [the Spiders] play and shoot the ball much better at home, so we need to play that much better than we did at our place if we expect to compete.”
The first matchup between these teams featured two completely different halves. Bona…
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