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St. Bonaventure vs. Dayton Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Friday, Feb. 2 (Go under the total)

College basketball betting preview, prediction and best bet for St. Bonaventure- Dayton. 

By Shelby Dermer

Jan 30, 2024; Dayton, Ohio, USA; George Washington forward Darren Buchanan Jr. (3) drives against Dayton's DaRon Holmes.
Jan 30, 2024; Dayton, Ohio, USA; George Washington forward Darren Buchanan Jr. (3) drives against Dayton's DaRon Holmes. / Matt Lunsford-USA TODAY Sports
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No. 21 Dayton has aspirations of another March Madness run as the Flyers have their best squad since the 2020 team was set to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Dayton has won 14 of its last 15 games and recovered from its only Atlantic-10 loss - 69-64 at Richmond Jan. 27 - with a dominating effort against George Washington on Tuesday. The Flyers are undefeated at home this season and welcome St. Bonaventure on Friday.

The Bonnies are riding a two-game winning streak after taking care of Saint Joseph’s (91-72) and VCU (67-62). They’ve struggled as an underdog this season, but can they hang within the big number against the ranked Flyers? 

Here’s a betting preview for Friday’s A-10 action with a best bet. 

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St. Bonaventure vs. Dayton odds, spread and total

St. Bonaventure vs. Dayton betting trends

  • St. Bonaventure is 10-9-1 ATS this season
  • Dayton is 11-8-1 ATS this season
  • St. Bonaventure is 2-4 ATS as an underdog this season
  • Dayton is 8-7 ATS as a favorite this season
  • The OVER is 10-10 in both St. Bonaventure and Dayton games this season

St. Bonaventure vs. Dayton how to watch

  • Date: Friday, Feb. 2
  • Game time: 7 p.m. EST
  • Venue: UD Arena
  • How to watch (TV): ESPN2, ESPN+
  • St. Bonaventure record: 13-7 (4-4 A-10)
  • Dayton record: 17-3 (7-1 A-10)

St. Bonaventure vs. Dayton key players to watch

St. Bonaventure

Daryl Banks III: The senior guard hadn’t been the Bonnies’ leading scorer in any game this season until Friday, when Banks poured in a season-high 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting and knocked down seven 3-pointers. Banks was St. Bonaventure’s leading scorer again in Tuesday’s victory over VCU, scoring 15 points with a good showing at the free-throw line (8-for-8). 

Dayton

DaRon Holmes: Holmes has Dayton in the AP Top-25 and is the likely frontrunner to be named the A-10 Conference Player of the Year. Holmes is averaging a career-high 19.4 points per game to go with 7.9 rebounds while shooting 54.5% from the field. Holmes has scored 20-plus points in five of the last six games and is coming off a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double in Dayton’s win over George Washington. 

St. Bonaventure vs. Dayton prediction and pick

St. Bonaventure has won outright and covered the spread in its last two games, but they’ll be the biggest underdog they’ve been in conference play when they visit Dayton on Friday. 

St. Bonaventure hasn’t been great when getting a ton of points this season, losing 64-54 as a nine-point underdog against Florida Atlantic and falling 77-60 to Auburn as a 10-point underdog. Dayton has been a different animal at home, too. The Flyers are 10-0 at UD Arena and winning by an average of 16.4 points per game. 

Dayton is one of the best 3-point shooting teams (No. 7 in KenPom) in the country, but St. Bonaventure can knock down perimeter attempts, too, ranking No. 64. St. Bonaventure’s offense is No. 93 in KenPom  with top-100 rankings in key metrics like effective field goal percentage, free-throw percentage and offensive rebounding. Defensively, St. Bonaventure feasts on takeaways, ranking No. 39 in turnover percentage. 

These two teams play at a slow pace, with Dayton ranking No. 350 in adjusted tempo and St. Bonaventure at No. 270. Dayton scored 179 points over its last two home games, but it’s a step up in class against St. Bonaventure, which is No. 73 in efficiency, creates takeaways and doesn’t give up offensive rebounds.

Don't let the recent results get in the way, either. Before offensive explosions against Rhode Island and George Washington, Dayton had to grind out low-scoring home wins over Massachusetts (64-60) and Saint Louis (70-65). In a matchup of two of the top-3 scoring defenses in the A-10, go under the total.

Pick: Under 135

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change

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