St. Bonaventure vs. Saint Louis Odds
| St. Bonaventure Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 141.5 -110o / -110u | +220 |
| Saint Louis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 141.5 -110o / -110u | -275 |
It has been an underwhelming season for the Bonnies. They began the year expected to once again contend for an Atlantic 10 title, but with just a handful of games remaining, that is nearly out of reach. However, the first of this two-game series against Saint Louis is an opportunity to prove that they may be down but are not out yet.
While the Bonnies may play with a sense of urgency here, it will still be a tall order against the Billikens. They enter this matchup on a tear as they have won six straight ball games. Can Saint Louis' stout defense help continue its run, or is it time for St. Bonaventure to get back on track?
Discipline Will be Key for Bonnies
The Bonnies recently went through a two-game losing streak where they abandoned their style of basketball. First, they got lured into a shootout with Davidson, and while they did shoot well, their fortune lucked out as the better team prevailed.
Then against Richmond, their interior defense failed them as they allowed a much smaller team to outrebound them and get plenty of quality looks inside.
They seemingly corrected all of those things in their victory against Fordham. While the quality of opposition was certainly lower, the areas in need were addressed. The Bonnies dominated the glass as they hauled in 52 rebounds. They also shot fewer threes and defended them effectively, too.
The improvements that were made will have to carry over to this matchup against the Billikens.
St. Bonaventure's five-man rotation will need to take control of the tempo so that they can thrive on both ends of the court. Saint Louis is built through its defense and is very good at contesting perimeter shots. The Bonnies will need to get into their sets offensively and work the ball inside to create higher percentage looks.
Osun Osunniyi could be a significant factor in the offensive game plan as he will be the biggest man on the court. His height and length will be important in every aspect of this matchup as he can score down low, rebound effectively and block shots on defense.
Look for Saint Louis to Stretch the Floor
While the Billikens may be a prominent defensive team, they have two guys who can light it up and will be sure to factor into this contest. Their leading scorer, Gibson Jimerson, has been shooting at an impressive rate this season. He has a 44.6 field goal percentage and shoots 41.6 percent from behind the arc.
His backcourt mate, Yuri Collins, hasn't been too shabby with his shot this season either. Collins usually is more of a facilitator as he averages over eight assists per game but has shown he can light it up when given a chance. Collins recently exploded against as he dropped 35 points on top of 13 assists against George Mason.
That performance needs to be highlighted because Collins showed that he is also a threat from deep. He usually only attempts two threes per game and will get one of them to go down, but his volume has ticked up a bit since the George Mason game, where he went three for seven from behind the arc.
Jimerson's and Collins' ability to make the outside shot is key against the St. Bonaventure defense. Not only will many inside shots be swatted away by Osunniyi, but the Bonnies have had quite an issue defending the three. They have allowed opponents to shoot over 34 percent, which is 219th in the country, and they give up the fifth highest share of points by way of the three.
St. Bonaventure vs. Saint Louis Betting Pick
This is a tremendous buy-low spot for the Bonnies as these two teams are much closer than the spread portrays. To put that in perspective, KenPom has the Billikens as seven-point favorites at home in this matchup, but when the series shifts to Reilly Center on Monday, they are just one-point favorites.
Overall, I think the Bonnies used their game against Fordham to get right, and now they can show who we all thought they were here against St. Louis.
