The St. Bonaventure Bunnies have won six consecutive games to inch back into the NCAA Tournament conversation. They can really make a case for participation with a win this week over the nationally ranked Rhode Island Rams.
Rhode Island has been the class of the A-10 all year and aims to remain undefeated in conference in this one. It could be one of the team’s last big tests as the Rams have to hit the road for this matchup. The Bonnies have a solid team and are playing at a high level currently.
Even though Rhode Island has the national rankings and the clear conference lead, the home court advantage for St. Bonaventure makes this one somewhat of a toss-up. This is a critical game for the Bonnies and they would be well-served to come away with the win.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Friday, February 16, 2018, at the Reilly Center.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Friday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Rhode Island is 20-3 straight up and 12-9 against the spread. The Rams have covered in half of their eight road games on the year. Rhode Island is 11-6 against the spread as the favorite on the season and may be the slightest of ones in this game.
St. Bonaventure is 17-6 straight up and 10-12 against the spread. The Bonnies have gone 5-4 against the spread at home this season. St. Bonaventure is 3-3 against the spread as the underdog.
Player to Watch
Jaylen Adams – The Bonnies’ senior guard has come on strong these last few games. He recorded a career-high 40 points against Duquesne on February 3rd only to surpass that mark the very next game, scoring 44 against Saint Louis on February 7th.
Adams had ten three-pointers in St. Bonaventure’s 79-56 win over Saint Louis, a school record, and shot 77.8 percent from the field in that game. He is the team’s leading scorer this season, averaging 20.2 points and 5.3 assists per game this season.
The Bonnies will face their toughest test against Rhode Island this week, but Adams should have a lot of momentum coming into this one. If he’s able to put together another big performance, it could help St. Bonaventure’s chances of an upset.
Key Stat
16. That’s how many games in a row No. 16 Rhode Island has won coming into this matchup against St. Bonaventure. The team’s last loss was on December 6th against Alabama but the Rams have been red hot since then.
Rhode Island is undefeated against Atlantic 10 opponents and will look to stay that way when it takes on the Bonnies on Friday. The Rams’ only other losses this season both came early on, falling to Nevada on the road on November 13th and losing at home against Virginia on November 24th.
The Rams defeated Davidson in convincing fashion last week, winning 72-59 and their most recent victory came against Richmond on Tuesday. They’ll have a lot of momentum coming into this one and, despite being on the road, should be a heavy favorite.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
St. Bonaventure is a solid team and Adams has been having a great stretch of late. He should keep his team in this one throughout, and the home crowd will also be an advantage. However, Rhode Island is in the midst of a special season, and look for it to keep going.
Take the Rams to win this game, and they will likely cover the spread if it is a small one.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Rhode Island 77, St. Bonaventure 73
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