Sacramento Kings
Richmond Await Bonnies in Key A-10 Clash
Spiders Can Leapfrog St. Bonaventure in Standings
The St. Bonaventure Bonnies try to move up in the Atlantic 10 standings when they take on the host Richmond Spiders in a conference contest on Friday night. The opening tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET at Robins Center in Richmond, Va.
The Bonnies (12-6, 4-3 Atlantic 10) are coming off a loss to the conference-leading Davidson Wildcats on Tuesday night, their sixth straight game of alternating wins and losses. St. Bonaventure is sixth in the Atlantic 10 standings, just a half-game behind the fifth-place George Mason Patriots.
Richmond (14-8, 5-4) defeated the Duquesne Dukes on Tuesday for its fourth win in the last five games. The Spiders are percentage points behind the Bonnies in the conference standings and a half-game ahead of the George Washington Colonels.
If you want to bet online on this contest, the college basketball lines have the Spiders as four-point favorites, with the over/under set at 138½ points. The moneyline has Richmond listed at -175 and St. Bonaventure at +155.
Moving On
The Bonnies were hoping that they could start a climb up the standings with a win over Davidson on Tuesday, but instead, they were stuck with another loss and have to try to rebound with a trip to face Richmond. Coach Mark Schmidt tried to downplay the significance of the game beforehand and now has to continue that thought heading into Friday.
“We take it one game at a time,” Schmidt said after Tuesday’s loss. “Postseason, end of the year, whatever it is, our sights are for Richmond. You watch tape, go back to practice and try to improve on the things we don’t do well, like we do every practice.”
Guard Jalen Adaway had 21 points against Davidson and will be a key for St. Bonaventure. Adaway leads the Bonnies with 15.5 points per game and is also grabbing 6.6 rebounds while shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range.
Guard Jaren Holmes had an off-night against the Wildcats, shooting 1-of-10 from the field and scoring nine points. Holmes is averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists, and the Bonnies are hoping he bounces back in this one.
Guard Kyle Lofton leads the Bonnies in assists per game at 5.5, but he also contributes 14.2 points per game. Lofton is also a terror on the defensive end, leading the team with 1.9 steals per contest.
Speaking of defense, forward Osun Osunniyi is a big part of that end of the floor for St. Bonaventure. Osunniyi is 17th in the country with 2.9 blocks per game while also leading the Bonnies with 7.7 rebounds.
Three-Pronged Attack
The Spiders rank fourth in the Atlantic 10 with 73.5 points per game. But they have just three players averaging in double figures in scoring, meaning those three need to be on their games.
Forward Tyler Burton leads the way with 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Burton is fifth in the conference in scoring, though he’s been a bit inconsistent lately, scoring in single digits twice in the last five contests.
Forward Grant Golden is contributing 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. He’s shooting 52.3 percent from the floor, though he’s only 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Guard Jacob Gilyard is effective on the offensive end, averaging 12.7 points and a team-high 6.0 assists, but it’s his defense that makes him tough. Gilyard is leading the country with 3.4 steals per contest, so the St. Bonaventure guards are going to have to be sure-handed against him.
Richmond Gets Win
The Spiders have been more consistent of late and they’ll be playing at home. St. Bonaventure is just 2-2 on the road and it will have its troubles again on Friday night.
When making your college basketball picks, take Richmond to win and cover at home.
