On Sunday, the Bonnies will travel to the Lloyd Noble Center to face the 1-seed Oklahoma Sooners.
The St. Bonaventure Bonnies improved to 21-9 after beating the 4-seed Colorado Buffaloes 76-68 on Tuesday. St. Bonaventure trailed 39-36 at halftime, but the Bonnies dominated on defense in the second half, pulling away late with an 8-0 run in the last 2:25. As a team, Colorado shot 43.1 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from three-point range, while St. Bonaventure shot 52.7 percent and 50.0 percent. Osun Osunniyi led the Bonnies with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 blocks.
This season, St. Bonaventure averages 70.3 points on 45.3 percent shooting. The Bonnies average 5.9 three-pointers a game, hitting 32.5 percent from distance. Jalen Adaway (16.1 ppg, 6.2 rb, 1 assist), Jarren Holmes (13.2 ppg, 5.0 rb, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals), Kyle Lofton (12.9 ppg, 3.5 rb, 5.8 assists, 2.1 steals), Dominick Welch (12.0 ppg, 5.9 rb, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals) (11.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 3.0 bpg).
St. Bonaventure allows 66.4 points per game on 42.4 percent field goal shooting. Bonnies enjoy 0.4 rebounding and 2.3 turnover advantage.
The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners improved to 19-15 after beating Missouri State 89-72 on Tuesday. The Sooners easily pulled away after grabbing a 76-58 lead midway through the second half. On the other hand, Missouri State shot 40.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. For the Sooners, Umoja Gibson had 28 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals
Oklahoma averages 69.1 points per game on 47.6% field goal shooting. The Sooners shoot 34.4 percent from three-point range, averaging 7.5 a game. Jordan Goldwire (10.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.5 spg) and Umoja Gibson (12.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.4 spg) (10.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 spg).
On defense, Oklahoma’s opponents score 64.9 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting. Their rebound and turnover margins are each 1.1.
The Bonnies are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 total games and 5-1 ATS on Sundays. The Sooners are 5-0-1 against the spread in their last six games overall and 3-1-1 at home.
This year, St. Bonaventure was 89th in scoring defense and 51st in turnover margin. The Bonnies have struggled to score, ranking 199th in scoring offense and t-301st in three-pointers made per game. Oklahoma has a good shooting percentage (25th) and a good defense (46th) but a bad offense (224th).
Oklahoma is a tough opponent at home, but St. Bonaventure has a strong starting five and just beat Colorado. This game will be close, but I think St. Bonaventure will score enough points to cover the spread.
Free Pick: Oklahoma -6
