The VCU Rams (14-5) will attempt to keep their nine-game winning streak alive when they meet the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (12-5) at Stuart Siegel Center. Action begins at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 24 and can be seen on NBS.
The Rams enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out Duquesne 93-71 on Wednesday. Doug Brooks was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points on 3-for-6 shooting. The Bonnies, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 85-79 loss against Dayton on Tuesday. Jaylen Adams played well for St. Bonaventure, recording 27 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
Marcus Posley has been hot over the last five games for the Bonnies, averaging 21.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.8 three-pointers.
VCU is a nine-point favorite against St. Bonaventure and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 151 points. The Rams have gone 14-5 Straight Up (SU) and 11-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-1). The Rams prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 20th in the nation with 103 total three-pointers allowed (5.0 per game). Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Rams, who rank fourth in the country in steals per game with 10.1.
In the other locker room, the Bonnies have records of 8-5 ATS and 12-5 SU. The Bonnies convert their free throws at a high percentage, leading the nation at .780.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. St. Bonaventure won the last game in the matchup, but the win was not enough to overtake VCU in the head-to-head series. Its record is now 1-2 SU. The Bonnies lead the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – VCU, ATS Winner – StBon, O/U – Over
Notes
Virginia Commonwealth is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
VCU is a perfect 6-0 SU against its conference, while St. Bonaventure stands at 4-2 SU in the conference.
The St. Bonaventure Bonnies average 77.5 points per game, ranking 87th in the nation. The VCU Rams rank 52nd in points allowed with 66.3.
In its last game, VCU won by a margin of 22 points. St. Bonaventure is 2-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. VCU has an 8-0 record in blowouts.
The St. Bonaventure Bonnies rank 63rd for their offensive rating of 111.9. The VCU Rams have a defensive rating of 94.9 (ranked 32nd).
St. Bonaventure has an average field goal percentage of 44.3%. VCU is a winning 7-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The VCU Rams and the St. Bonaventure Bonnies both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. VCU is 153rd and 143rd in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while St. Bonaventure is 162nd and 126th in these categories.
VCU ranks 83rd in assists, registering 15.2 per game. St. Bonaventure performs worse at 122nd with 14.4 assists per game.
VCU ranks 56th in offensive rebounding. St. Bonaventure ranks 277th in defensive rebounding.
VCU is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 24.9% (ranked fourth). St. Bonaventure is winless this season (0-2 SU) when its TO% reaches 24.9% or greater.
