St. Bonaventure vs. Virginia Tech Odds & Picks: Betting Value on Friday’s Over/Under
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Osun Osunniyi
- Virginia Tech and St. Bonaventure duel in the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout from Charlotte, NC.
- Both teams are coming off losses, as the Bonnies fell to UConn and the Hokies dropped one to Dayton.
- D.J. James breaks down why the pace will be the key to this game.
St. Bonaventure vs. Virginia Tech Odds
| St. Bonaventure Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 127.5 -110o / -110u | +128 |
| Virginia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 127.5 -110o / -110u | -154 |
St. Bonaventure and Virginia Tech will head to the Hall of Fame Shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina for their Friday matinee matchup.
Virginia Tech has recently struggled against top tier programs, losing four of its last six games. Meanwhile, St. Bonaventure dropped its duel with Connecticut, but notched three straight wins prior to that game.
Neutral-court matchups are usually conducive to the under, so given how both of these teams play at a below-average pace, points should be hard to come by — at least early in this one.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
The Bonnies have a top-35 offensive efficiency, per KenPom. Still, most of this is attributable to their elite free throw percentage (79.1%) and lack of turnovers (14.8% of possessions), two marks that are key to making a long NCAA Tournament run.
That said, they do play at a snail’s pace. They rank 286th in adjusted tempo (again, per KenPom) and utilize 17.8 seconds per possession on offense. They allow opponents use about 17.6 seconds per possession on defense.
Their defense is not necessarily fantastic, but they control the pace and hold opponents to 47% inside the arc on two-point shots.
In addition, they are also a poor offensive rebounding team (26.9%), so this indicates they will not have many second chances. Virginia Tech holds opponents to a 24.7% offensive rebounding percentage.
Finally, the Bonnies do not shoot much or very well from 3-point range. Treys only make up 26.4% of their total point distribution, so they will work the ball inside.
Outside of Osun Osunniyi, they truly do not have much of an inside presence. After him, they would be relying Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, but he only plays about 10.5 minutes in each game.
The Hokies have the forward depth to defend the Bonnies, so if the Bonnies want to score, they will need to deviate from previous plans and shoot some 3s.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech is another slow-paced team, ranking even lower than St. Bonaventure at 336th in adjusted tempo (per KenPom).
The Hokies ensure rivals use much of their shot clock, averaging 18.7 seconds per possession on defense. They also average 17.9 seconds per possession on the offensive side. This is another edge leaning to the under.
The Hokies rank 317th in getting to the free throw line, so fans will not see many attempts at free points from their offense.
Keve Aluma and Nahiem Alleyne are two Hokies who get to the line most often and shoot well from there. After that, David N’Guessan and Justyn Mutts have a combined 36 free throw attempts and are both shooting less than 53%.
Va Tech is the opposite of St. Bonaventure, as it will shoot a lot of 3s and will be successful at doing so. The Hokies rank 13th in the NCAA with a 39.3% long range percentage, so threats like Alleyne, N’Guessan, Hunter Cattoor and Darius Maddox need to be guarded tightly.
Since the Bonnies struggle in defending the 3, this is the main threat to betting the under in this game.
However, Virginia Tech lacks the inside presence to crash the offensive glass, too. The Hokies only rebound 27.2% of the time on the offensive end, which should limit them to one shot each possession — much like the Bonnies.
St. Bonaventure vs. Virginia Tech Betting Pick
Neither of these teams can rebound offensively or make it consistently to the free throw line. As long as each team remains disciplined in the foul department, there will not be free points added to this game’s total.
Virginia Tech may be able to shoot from long range, but 3-pointers can be volatile.
Both teams are too slow-paced to make many early buckets on a neutral floor, so grab the under in this game at 129.5 and play it to 127.
Pick: Under 129.5 (Play to 127)
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