The Saint Joseph’s Hawks (18-3) will attempt to keep their seven-game winning streak alive when they take on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (13-6) at Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena. The game begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
The Hawks come into this game on a high note after topping Rhode Island 64-55 on Saturday. Isaiah Miles led all scorers on the team with 17 points on 4-for-8 shooting. The Bonnies are coming off an 84-68 win over Richmond on Sunday. Marcus Posley shot 8 for 17 and led in scoring with 26 points.
Posley has been on a tear over the last five games for the Bonnies, averaging 23.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers.
The Hawks look to build on their records of 18-3 Straight Up (SU) and 14-6 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-2). The Hawks have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 40th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 40.0 per game, while the Bonnies rank 195th in the nation with 36.1 per game. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Saint Joseph’s, which ranks 37th at 1.36. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Hawks, who allow a field goal percentage of only .394.
Across the court, the Bonnies have records of 10-5 ATS and 13-6 SU. Most recently, St. Bonaventure is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. The Bonnies convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking second in the nation at .777. Switching gears to the St. Bonaventure defense, the Bonnies allow very few three-pointers on defense with 6.0 given up per game.
This is the first meeting of the season for Saint Joseph’s and St. Bonaventure. The last time they played, St. Bonaventure came out on top, moving its SU record against Saint Joseph’s to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Furthermore, with a 6-4 record, St. Bonaventure has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Saint Joseph’s held the edge in all three of these categories one time in the last five meetings. St. Bonaventure never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – StBon, ATS Winner – StBon
Notes
Saint Joseph’s is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Saint Joseph’s last 5 games.
Saint Joseph’s is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Saint Joseph’s is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing St. Bonaventure.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Saint Joseph’s last 10 games when playing St. Bonaventure.
Saint Joseph’s sits at 7-1 SU against its conference, while St. Bonaventure is 5-3 SU.
Saint Joseph’s averages 69.7 possessions per game, scoring 1.074 points on each possession. While St. Bonaventure averages fewer possessions per game with 69.2, they score more points per possession with 1.123.
St. Bonaventure has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.1%. Saint Joseph’s is a winning 3-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Saint Joseph’s attempts an average of 20.0 three pointers per game and St. Bonaventure attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks are undefeated at 9-0 while the St. Bonaventure Bonnies have a 7-5 record.
Saint Joseph’s, the 40th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 40.0 rebounds per game. St. Bonaventure does worse, ranked 195th with 36.1.
On average, Saint Joseph’s makes 4.9 steals per game. St. Bonaventure has a solid 10-5 record when it gives up at least 4 steals.
