OLEAN — On Saturday, St. Bonaventure (3-0) takes on Youngstown State (2-1), a team with an incredibly deep and experienced roster that will be looking to knock the Bonnies off their undefeated perch.

The Penguins and Bonnies approach the game with different philosophies. Coach Mark Schmidt has said in the last week that “Depth is overrated” and “Three-point shooting is fickle. You never know what’s going to happen, and the game has to be won in the paint.” In Wednesday’s win over Siena, St. Bonaventure attempted just eight three-pointers.

Meanwhile, the Penguins were 38th in the nation in coach Ethan Faulkner’s first year in charge averaging 27.5 three point attempts, and are taking more than 30 per game this season. They hit 12 threes during their win over Grand Canyon, an NCAA tournament team in 2025, last week.

Their starters often don’t play the most minutes. They run a true ten man rotation, with only one player (senior forward Rich Rolf) averaging more than 22 minutes. They’ll try to throw a number of different matchups at the Bonnies on Saturday, while trying to shoot them out of the gym. It will be a completely different approach than what the Bonnies have faced so far.

“They’re a team that shoots a lot of threes, they get up and down,” Schmidt said. “They’re not throwing into the post like Siena is, they drive and kick. We’ve got to make sure we know who the shooters are, who the drivers are. At the same time, we’ve got to play our game as well.”

The X-Factor

Frank Mitchell will have a clear advantage in beef in the inside against Youngstown State, and represents a problematic matchup for the Penguins. The 6’8, 270-pound big has been an absolute weapon on the glass, averaging five offensive rebounds per game.

The Penguins will try to force him to the perimeter with their five-out offense, but his mobility and lateral quickness are not significant weak spots.

Mitchell will be challenged, especially when matched up with 7’0, 210-pound senior center Imanuel Zorgvol, who has elite talent as a shot blocker and is averaging 2.3 per game in 20 minutes.

However, like the rest of his team, he struggles to rebound. Against two Division I opponents this year, the Penguins as a whole average 27 rebounds per game, compared to the Bonnies’ 39. Zorgvol averages 3.7.

This game will be an opportunity for Mitchell, who is averaging 15-10 to start the season, to have a gaudy statline. If the Bonnies are going to win, they’ll likely need to outrebound Youngstown State by a healthy margin.

The Verdict

As Schmidt said, outside shooting can be fickle, and this game could have a variety of different outcomes. The Penguins will have some success generating and hitting open looks, but the Bonnies will ultimately outscore and outrebound them, surviving to win 84-79.