Atlantic 10 Tournament Betting: Can Saint Louis Offense Do Enough vs. St. Bonaventure?

Atlantic 10 Tournament Betting: Can Saint Louis Offense Do Enough vs. St. Bonaventure? article feature image
Credit:

Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Kyle Lofton

St. Bonaventure last won the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2012, then Saint Louis did it in 2013.

One of those teams will add a second title in the decade on Sunday to cap an unlikely run.

The No. 4-seeded Bonnies will face the No. 6 seed Billikens at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Let's take a look at which team bettors should back.



Betting Odds for Saint Louis vs. St. Bonaventure

  • Spread: St. Bonaventure -1
  • Over/Under: 119.5
  • Time: 1 p.m. ET
  • TV: CBS

>> All odds as of 7 a.m. ET. Download The Action Network App to get real-time odds and live win probabilities on your bets.


Saint Louis (22-12) will be playing its fourth game in four days after defeating Richmond, Dayton, and Davidson to reach the tournament finals — the last two as underdogs.

St. Bonaventure (18-15) received a first-round bye as a top 4 seed and defeated George Mason and Rhode Island by an average of 14 points. The Bonnies have won 10 of their last 11 games, going 9-2 ATS.

Saint Louis lost its only matchup this season against St. Bonaventure 66-57 on March 9. That loss perfectly illustrated the offensive challenges for the Billikens. They shot 26.3% (5 of 19) from 3P and 58.8% (10 of 17) from the free throw line. Saint Louis ranks 311th and 352nd in those areas, respectively.

They will now face a St. Bonaventure defense that has improved all season and ranks second best in Atlantic 10 play. The Bonnies are ranked second in adjusted defensive efficiency and 2P% allowed.

Saint Louis is accustomed to being the best defensive team on the floor, but St. Bonaventure has been their equal since conference play began. On offense, the Bonnies are substantially better and have been the hotter team over the past month.

The Bonnies are playing their best offensive ball of the season. Despite ranking 255th in the nation in 3P%, St. Bonaventure is shooting 39% (21 of 54) from beyond the arc over its last three games. Senior forward LaDarien Griffin (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) has scored in double-digits in five of his last six games while averaging 37.6 minutes per game. Freshman guard Kyle Lofton (14.4 ppg) has averaged 19 points over his last three contests while shooting 95% (18 of 19) from the foul line and 58.3% (7 of 12) from 3P.

The Billikens would need big games out of both Javon Bess (15.2 ppg) and Tramaine Isabell Jr. (13.8 ppg) to keep this game close. The Bonnies will not let that happen.

Take St. Bonaventure to win the A10 Tournament title with a comfortable win over an overachieving and tired Saint Louis team.

The Pick: St. Bonaventure -1

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