The La Salle Explorers take on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Wednesday in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The game tips off at 11:30 a.m. ET in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Bonnies are listed as 5.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at O/U 144.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this Atlantic 10 Tournament college basketball matchup.
La Salle vs. St. Bonaventure prediction, preview
The Bonnies of St. Bonaventure have been a volatile team all season. They can score efficiently on their good days. The Bonnies rank sixth in the A-10 in points per game this season. However, they are also giving up the third-most points per game in the conference. St. Bonaventure had a good run through non-conference play, but went on several major losing skids against A-10 competition. That includes losing six of their last seven games heading into the conference tournament. The Bonnies are led by standout senior forward Frank Mitchell. He is averaging 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. That makes him the 10th-leading rebounder in the nation.
It was a season to forget for La Salle basketball. La Salle won just nine games in the regular season, struggling in both non-conference play and in A-10 play. The Explorers found the slightest bit of momentum towards the end of the season, but it wasn’t enough to stop them from finishing in 11th place in the Atlantic 10. La Salle won two of its final five games in very different fashion. In one game, they scored 59 points and still won. In the other, they gave up 84 points and still won. So, this team can win in different ways when necessary. La Salle has been playing the past month without its leading scorer, Jaeden Marshall. However, Rob Dockery has stepped up in his absence, scoring 25 or more points in three of the last four games of the regular season.
La Salle vs. St. Bonaventure pick
La Salle and St. Bonaventure faced off once in the regular season. La Salle won that game 78-74 as the home team. This game between the two teams could be a bit of a slog. Both teams had quite disappointing seasons and have virtually no chance of getting through this field and making the NCAA Tournament. To make matters worse, this game tips off at 11:30 a.m. ET. It will likely be a very empty gym, and the players will not be feeling amped up for this game by any means. That is why I am betting on the game to go under 144.5 points. La Salle ranks 280th in the nation in adjusted tempo. The Explorers have no issue slowing this game all the way down. While St. Bonaventure doesn’t play quite as slow, they still rank 191st nationally in adjusted tempo.
In the regular season matchup, these two teams combined to shoot 45% from beyond the arc. That is despite the two teams ranking 10th and 14th out of 14 teams in the conference in three-pointers made per game. These teams are highly unlikely to shoot at such a high percentage in this game, especially in a bigger arena that is unfamiliar to them. This game should come in under the total of 144.5 points.
