On Tuesday, March 15 at 11:00 p.m. ET at the CU Events Center in Boulder, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies and the Colorado Buffaloes will face off in the first round of the NIT Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Bonnies finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 with a record of 20-9 overall. The Colorado Buffaloes are 21-11 overall and fourth in the Pacific-12.
The Saint Louis Billikens defeated the St. Bonaventure Bonnies by a single point in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. The Bonnies only scored 22 points at halftime and 34 points in the second half, resulting in a 56-57 loss.
Jalen Adaway led all scorers with 18 points. Dominick Welch scored 14 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. Kyle Lofton finished with ten points. St. Bonaventure shot 38.1 percent, trailing Saint Louis by 1%. They made 5 of 20 three-point attempts and only 3 of 8 free throws. They were outrebounded 31-40, but caused 17 turnovers from the Billikens.
The Bonnies average 70.1 points per game, ranking them 225th in the league. The squad ranks 280th in the league with 34.3 rebounds per game and 149th with 13.7 assists per game.
Jalen Adaway leads St. Bonaventure in scoring with 16 points per game. Osun Osunniyi leads the team with 7.6 rpg, 2.9 blocks per game, and a 60.8 percent shooting percentage. Kyle Lofton leads the team with 5.7 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game.
In the Pac-12 semifinals, the Colorado Buffaloes were defeated by the second-ranked Arizona Wildcats, 82-72. Colorado trailed by 9 points at halftime and never recovered, leading to their defeat.
With 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks, Jabari Walker led the way. Evan Battey had ten points and Keeshawn Barthelemy had twelve. The Buffaloes shot 38.7 percent, which was 14 percent worse than Arizona.
Colorado made 16 of 32 three-point attempts and 8 of 10 free throws. They were outrebounded 27-36, but they forced Arizona to turn the ball over 18 times. Jabari Walker leads Colorado this season with an average of 14.9 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, and 0.7 steals per game. KJ Simpson leads the team in assists and steals per game with 2.7 and 0.8, respectively. Evan Battey is the top with a 50 percent shooting percentage.
The Buffaloes are averaging 71.2 points per game, which ranks them 184th in the country. The squad averages 37.3 rebounds per game, which is tied for 101st in the league, and 13.3 assists per game, which is tied for 183rd.
Colorado Buffaloes vs. St. Bonaventure Bonnies The Colorado Buffaloes are the NCAAB selection. The Bonnies of St. Bonaventure began the season ranked in the top 25. St. Bonaventure, on the other hand, struggled on the road and will have a difficult time defeating Colorado on their home turf.
Colorado has shown that it is capable of defeating top-tier teams, and Jabari Walker will lead the squad to victory. The Colorado Buffaloes will win at home, with ease.
