It took three overtimes for St. Bonaventure to dispatch of Davidson on Tuesday night, and the Bonnies had the benefit of a home arena to boot. But even in a loss, Peyton Aldridge showed why he was many coaches' pick for preseason player of the year in the Atlantic 10 and the National Player of the Week presented by Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans.
The senior put up 45 points in Davidson's 117-113 loss -- and had he not fouled out on a questionable call in the third OT, Aldridge probably would have put up 50.
Tuesday night's performance capped off a three-game run in the past week that featured double-doubles in each game and Davidson going 2-1 in the process. Aldridge averaged 26.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and made 11 of his 20 3-point attempts in that span. Davidson won at Duquesne on Saturday; it defeated Fordham at home last Wednesday.
Efficient shooting and impressive rebounding efforts are why Aldridge is our choice for the national honor.
Aldridge is a lock for First Team All-Atlantic 10 Team. After putting up 45 points, he might still steal Player of the Year in the conference. That's to be determined. This season he's averaging 21.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Davidson is 17-11 overall with a 12-5 record in the A-10. It's not a contender for an at-large bid, but given the way Bob McKillop runs his offense, this team is a true threat to steal the auto bid in the A-10 Tournament.
If that's going to happen, Aldridge will probably need to continue to put up double-doubles and Davidson is going to have to outscore teams. The Wildcats have a hefty 3-point rate: 48.3 percent of their attempts are from beyond the arc. Feast or famine on the 3-ball. If they get hot, they can make the NCAAs. Aldridge will carry the team down the stretch. He's played in 92.5 percent of the team's minutes this season, which is among the highest percentages in college basketball.
