and a number three national ranking. In the 25-team 1970 NCAA tournament, Lanier led St. Bonaventure to an 80–72 victory over Davidson College with 28 points and 15 rebounds. He had 24 points and 19 rebounds in an 80–68 victory over NC State, and had 26 points and 14 rebounds in the 97–74 victory over Villanova as St. Bonaventure advanced to the Final Four. However, Lanier injured his knee near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford. The injury was severe enough that he could not play in the Final Four and eventually required the first of eight knee surgeries he would undergo throughout his life. In the Final Four, the Bonnies lost to Jacksonville University, whose center was future Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore. St. Bonaventure was whistled for 32 personal fouls and was outscored 37–15 at the free-throw line in the 91–83 loss. In the third-place game, the Bonnies lost to New Mexico State, finishing the season 25–3. "Every year at this time you start thinking about it and my players start thinking about it," reflected Coach Larry Weise at age 81. "We have a reunion every three, four years and it's the same with them. It was a magical moment in our lives, no question. In our hearts, we knew we were good enough to win the championship." "I think I appreciate it even more than my (college) teammates," Lanier reflected on the Final Four in 1985, "because I had a basis for comparison. It wasn't the money, or who got the 'numbers' like in the NBA. We weren't any big stars, it was a couple of guys from Buffalo and a guy from Troy all blending together." Lanier was named a first-team All-American at center alongside future Hall of Famers Dan Issel (center, Kentucky), Pete Maravich (point guard, LSU) and Calvin Murphy (point guard, Niagara), along with College Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Mount (shooting guard, Purdue). Lanier graduated from St. Bonaventure with a degree in business administration. Lanier holds St. Bonaventure records for scoring and rebounding, averaging 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds, with 57% shooting in 75 career games. In March 2018, St. Bonaventure won its first game in the NCAA tournament since 1970, defeating UCLA. Coach Mark Schmidt said, "It can't get better. Our guys just fought, we persevered. ... In 1970, you know, Bob Lanier got