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VCU vs. St. Bonaventure Prediction and Odds: Back the Road Underdog

By Reed Wallach

Nov 25, 2021; Nassau, BHS; Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Nick Kern (24) dunks past Baylor Bears
Nov 25, 2021; Nassau, BHS; Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Nick Kern (24) dunks past Baylor Bears / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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A battle of two of the Atlantic 10 conference elite meet on Friday night when Virginia Commonwealth faces St. Bonaventure.

The Bonnies finished last season at the top of the conference, but VCU seems poised to take contend in 2022 with a road win against Dayton already on their résumé in A-10 play.

Mark Schmidt's team has played one game in nearly a month after a COVID-19 pause, winning Tuesday at La Salle in overtime. Will there be some lingering effects for a short rotation and a physical Rams team coming to town?

Let's break down the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook.

VCU vs. St. Bonaventure Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

  • VCU: +2.5 (-110)
  • St. Bonaventure: -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • VCU: +125
  • St. Bonaventure: -145

Total: 130 (Over -110/Under -110)

VCU vs. St. Bonaventure Prediction and Pick

The Bonnies are not the team that was a mid-major darling last season. If you filter out last season's prior metrics, Bart Tovrik has this team ranked 123 in the country. The team has battled injury woes, but it is centered around a five man rotation.

In their first game since December 17th, Schmidt played five guys more than 43 minutes. The bench was comprised of two players who played three total minutes. This is unsustainable and setting up for tired legs on Friday.

That's not even factoring in the fact that VCU is one of the most physical teams in the country. The Rams are third in the country in turnover rate and are No. 1 in effective field goal percentage defense. While the team struggles to limit second chances, I believe that their offense is being undervalued.

The team got lead ball handler Adrian Baldwin back from an early season injury and the offense has been revitalized since. The team posted a bottom 25 offensive efficiency metric, per Bart Tovirk, without him in the lineup, but is now up to 193rd in the nation since he came back. This isn't an offensive-minded team, but the improvement is notable considering they have a top five defense.

This is a great spot to get the Rams as underdogs and I believe they win this one outright and cement themselves as the class of the conference.

PICK: VCU +2.5

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