GAME NOTES: For the first time ever, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies and the Dartmouth Big Green will go at it as the two squads meet up to kick off their respective seasons at the Reilly Center.

Dartmouth, hailing from the Ivy League, is far from a basketball power. The Big Green have not had a winning season in more than a decade, with the last one coming in 1998 when they finished at 14-12. They have had only three campaigns of 10 or more wins since then (2004-05, 2007-08 and 2013-14). Last season was the best of the three, with the team earning an overall record of 12-16. It stopped a streak of five straight seasons with a winning percentage below .400. Based on the results, it would appear coach Paul Cormier has his team headed in the right direction.

On the other side, St. Bonaventure is just two years removed from its surprising run to the Atlantic 10 Conference title and its corresponding NCAA Tournament invite. The Bonnies fell to 14-15 the following season, but returned to respectability last season, wrapping things up with an 18-15 overall record. The Bonnies' work in league play left much to be desired, however, as they logged only six wins in 16 league tests. They also lost five of their final six games and did not participate in any postseason tournament.

Dartmouth may have been even more competitive last season if it had not lost Gabas Maldunas (11.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2 bpg) after 15 games to a torn ACL. The 6- foot-9 forward is healthy now as he prepares to lead the Big Green in his senior season. A double-double threat when healthy, Maldunas is also a surprisingly effective passer (2.2 apg) and one of the Ivy League's best shot- blockers. Leading scorer Alex Mitola (11.8 ppg) is also back, as are Connor Boehm (10.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and John Golden (8.7 ppg). It is a solid nucleus for Cormier to work with, although the team only scored 68 ppg on 44.4 percent shooting last season. Of course, like most teams in the Ivy League, Dartmouth plays at a slower pace, which tends to lead to low-scoring, grinding affairs.

St. Bonaventure may not have been an offensive juggernaut last season, but it was certainly a more prolific squad than Dartmouth. The Bonnies scored 73.4 ppg, while shooting a decent 45.5 percent from the floor. In fact, they ranked third in the A-10 in scoring (73.4 ppg). Most of that offensive prodction is missing though, with Matthew Wright (16.3 ppg) and Charlon Kloof (11.8 ppg, 5 apg) both moving on. Youssou Ndoye (10.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.2 bpg) is the top returning scorer, but his efforts have been more important on defense and on the glass. It remains to be seen if he can still be effective as a primary offensive threat. Andell Cumberbatch (8.2 ppg) started 25 games and played in 31 last season. He will be one of the top candidates to fill in the holes in the backcourt left by Wright and Kloof. Jaylen Adams and Marcus Posley each got a chance to start in the Bonnies' exhibition bout against Mansfield last Saturday. Posley was more impressive, finishing with 14 points in 25 minutes. Dion Wright (8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) has excellent tools and should be averaging in double figures come season's end.

While optimism for the Big Green may be running high because of the returning talent on the roster, they may have to wait until league play gets underway to really start enjoying the season. St. Bonaventure may not be among the A-10's elite, but it is the superior team in this matchup.