The St. Bonaventure Bonnies (12-6, 4-3 A-10) — who were picked to win the Atlantic-10 in the conference preseason poll — face off against the team predicted to finish second in the Richmond Spiders (14-8, 5-4 A-10) Friday at the Robins Center. Tip off is at 6:00 pm ET on ESPN2.
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Bonaventure | +136 | +3.5 (-110) | O 140.5 (-110) |
| Richmond | -164 | -3.5 (-110) | U 140.5 (-110) |
Odds as of February 3rd, 2022 at FanDuel.
Richmond is a 3.5-point home favorite over the Bonnies, while the total is 140.5. The -164 moneyline price for the Spiders amounts to a 62.1% implied win probability, while St. Bonaventure’s +136 odds to win is equal to 42.4% implied probability.
Neither team is among the top-30 favorites in the NCAA Tournament odds, but the Bonnies are considered a decent threat in the Final Four odds. They are as short as +2000 at DraftKings, whereas the Spiders are +7000 longshots. FanDuel has Richmond at +10000 and the Bonnies at an inflated +12000.
Mark Schmidt’s leading scorer coming into the matchup against the Wildcats, senior guard Jaren Holmes (who was averaging over 15 points a game), had nine points — but was held to a 1-for-10 shooting night from the field. Fellow senior Jalen Adaway scored 21 points, while Kyle Lofton nearly had a triple-double with19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Meantime, Chris Mooney’s club sent the Dukes to their sixth straight loss. The Spiders’ leading scorer, Tyler Burton, tallied 18 points and 12 rebounds in the 17-point victory.
St. Bonaventure Owns Richmond in Recent H2H Results
The Bonnies own five straight victories over the Spiders dating back to the 2017-18 season. The caveat to those five wins, though? All have been by nine points or less. Schmidt’s squad has been ranked as high as No. 16 in the AP poll this season, but has gone 7-6 since starting 5-0. The latest loss was a frustrating five-point defeat to Davidson.
How? 🤯 @iam_qa pic.twitter.com/3zwLEjqlxd
— Bonnies Men’s Basketball (@BonniesMBB) February 2, 2022
Lofton has never lost to Richmond — and if his all-around game Friday is anything like the performance the senior displayed against the Wildcats, the Bonnies should prevail once again. The 6-foot-3 New Jersey native single-handedly kept the Bonnies energized, in the first half finishing the first 20 minutes just short of a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds. As for what he’s done against the Spiders, his 3-pointer with :02 left in the last meeting proved to be the game-winner in 69-66 Bonnies victory.
He’s part of a veteran group that averages in double-figures (along with Holmes, Adaway, Dominick Welch and Osun Osunniyi) — a senior core that gives the Bonnies the 12th-most experienced roster in Division I. This team owns wins over Marquette, Boise State and Clemson this season and has the talent to be an at-large NCAA Tournament team.
BetMGM NBA Bonus – Bet $10, Win $200 When a Three-Pointer Is Scored
Burton is Healthy … and Hungry
The league’s Most Improved Player last season, Burton is the only player in the top six in the A-10 in scoring (fifth at 16.2 ppg) and rebounding (sixth at 7.4 rpg) this season. And he’s hungry for a win over the Bonnies.
Tyler Burton with the 3 at the halftime buzzer to give Richmond the lead
pic.twitter.com/lKC4aHdC4E— Barstool Bench Mob (@stoolbenchmob) February 2, 2022
With Burton making things happen on the offensive end and Jacob Gilyard doing it defensively, the home team is certainly capable of snapping the four-year losing skid.
Jacob Gilyard got the crowd pumped after THIS play 🤩 @SpiderMBB pic.twitter.com/cII9YXqTeM
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) January 29, 2022
Gilyard leads all of D-I with 3.4 steals per game this season and was one of 15 players named to the
watch list for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award last week. He’s led all of college hoops in rips each of the previous two seasons.
Richmond has been wildly inconsistent this season. Mooney’s men stumbled out of the gate with a 3-4 record. The Spiders then won six straight. Then, over the last month-plus, the group has gone 5-4. One constant has been their ability to handle the rock: they own the 2nd-ranked offensive non-steal turnover percentage in D-1.
St. Bonaventure vs Richmond Prediction
Richmond is 7-3 at home this season. That includes losing two straight on its homecourt. Despite St. Bonaventure’s experience, I find it hard to believe the Spiders will lose three straight at home.
Plus, Richmond has won its last 10 February home games.
The Bonnies are dangerous. But the Spiders are the pick.
Pick: Richmond -3.5 (-110)
