Richmond vs. St. Bonaventure College Basketball Picks: Bonnies Look To Avenge February Loss On Senior Night

The most accomplished senior class in St. Bonaventure history will be honored Friday in the regular-season finale against Richmond. Read on for our Richmond-St. Bonaventure picks and predictions.

St. Bonaventure (19-8, 11-5) was the unanimous choice in the preseason poll to win the Atlantic 10 Conference, while Richmond (19-11, 10-7) was picked to finish second. Thus, each team is likely disappointed to be in fourth and sixth, respectively, looking up at Davidson and VCU.

Richmond ended a five-game head-to-head losing streak to St. Bonaventure with a 71-61 home win on Feb. 4. Since the calendar turned to 2022, Richmond hasn't had a winning streak longer than three games, while VCU just snapped St. Bonaventure's longest such streak of the season (seven games).

Given each team's inability to generate any consistency throughout the season, they both likely need to win the Atlantic 10 tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament, as their at-large hopes are likely long gone.

Here are my picks and predictions for Friday’s college basketball matchup between Richmond and St. Bonaventure (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

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Richmond vs. St. Bonaventure Game Info

Date/Time: Friday, March 4, 7:00 p.m. ETTV: ESPN2Location: Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure, NY

Richmond vs. St. Bonaventure Odds Analysis

St. Bonaventure opened as a 3-point home favorite and has failed to cover the spread in its last two games following six consecutive covers. Meanwhile, Richmond is 1-6 against the spread in its previous seven games but is still a profitable 8-3 ATS in 11 road contests. However, all three non-covers on the road were as a road underdog.

DraftKings offers the best number for Bonnies backers, as most other sportsbooks are at -3.5 or -4. As of this writing, 37% of the tickets and 85% of the cash are on Richmond, suggesting the largest wagers have sided with the underdogs.

The 138.5-point total at DraftKings is the highest number out there at the moment, as Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM are offering 138 and 137.5, respectively. The Over is 8-6 when the Bonnies are home favorites and is 4-2 in Richmond's six games as an underdog.

Richmond vs. St. Bonaventure Picks

St. Bonaventure -3 (-110) ???Under 138.5 (-110) ????

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Richmond vs. St. Bonaventure Predictions

St. Bonaventure -3 (-110)

After struggling to a 12-7 start, the Bonnies have looked every bit the NCAA Tournament team they were projected to be. They rattled off seven consecutive wins before their road loss to VCU. Though their 23-point loss to the Rams was significant, the margin of victory can be taken with a grain of salt, as the Bonnies were without big man Osun Osunniyi. He missed the game with a sprained ankle.

St. Bonaventure is looking to atone for a 10-point road loss to Richmond earlier this season, and if Osunniyi is available, it'll do just that at home on Senior Night.

Richmond caught St. Bonaventure in the middle of a slump in their first meeting, as the Bonnies struggled through a four-game stretch in 10 days. The loss to Richmond was their fourth in six games, with the condensed schedule seeming to weigh on a Bonnies team that gets the smallest percentage of minutes played from its bench (11.9%) in Division I. However, St. Bonaventure's games have been more spread out of late, which is likely why it's enjoyed some positive regression.

St. Bonaventure has won five of its last six games against Richmond, and the veteran bunch is extremely familiar with Richmond's Princeton offense. Mark Schmidt's compact style of defense doesn't make it easy for the Spiders to cut and find space off the ball.

Richmond might be a difficult team for most opponents to prepare for because of its unique style, but the Bonnies should have no such issue. Look for St. Bonaventure to avenge its earlier loss to Richmond in a big way.

Under 138.5 (-110)

Richmond has had difficulty with the toughest defensive-minded teams in the conference, as it's 2-3 against the Atlantic 10's top four defensive teams (according to adjusted defensive efficiency). Though St. Bonaventure ranks fifth in the conference in that metric, it's a much stronger defensive team than the numbers give it credit for.

It's nearly impossible to generate offense early in the shot clock against St. Bonaventure, as its average possession length on defense is the 12th-longest in the conference. In addition, it forces turnovers at the third-highest rate (20.6%) in conference play. Those are both big reasons why the Bonnies allowed an average of 54 points in three consecutive wins before their latest loss at VCU.

Schmidt's squad typically responds with a spirited defensive effort following losses, as it's allowed an average of 61.8 ppg after its last four defeats.

With both of these teams being such veteran groups, they tend to play low-scoring games against familiar opponents. This wager is predicated on the availability and the presence of rim-protector Osunniyi. The Under is a combined 19-14 in these two teams' conference games, and it'll be another defensive struggle in this game, especially if the Bonnies big man is healthy.

Where to Bet on Richmond-St. Bonaventure Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks for odds boosts:

FanDuel SportsbookCaesars SportsbookDraftKings SportsbookPointsBetBetMGM

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Richmond-St. Bonaventure picks made 3/4/2022 at 7:38 a.m. ET.