St. Bonaventure Bonnies (19-12) vs. Loyola Ramblers (23-8)
March 14, 2024 5:00 pm EDT
The Line: Loyola Ramblers -2.5 ; Over/Under:
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The St. Bonaventure Bonnies and the Loyola Ramblers meet Thursday in Atlantic 10 Tournament college basketball action from Barclays Center. Let’s get into our St. Bonaventure vs Loyola prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
The Bonnies got off to a 10-3 start early in the year, but haven’t been able to win more than two consecutive games since then. St. Bonaventure finished off the regular season on a 4-3 stretch with wins over Fordham, Davidson, UMass and Loyola alongside losses to La Salle, George Washington and Saint Louis.
In Wednesday’s tournament game versus La Salle, St. Bonaventure had a close call. The Bonnies were up 42-34 going into the second half but had to hang on during a 39-33 deficit from there in a 75-73 win. Mika Adams-Woods led the team on his 15 points with six assists and two steals.
Loyola Ramblers
Over on the Loyola side, they managed a 13-7 run through their first 20 games this year. The Ramblers would hit a seven-game win streak lasting most of February, finally coming to an end with a loss to St. Bonaventure. Loyola has beaten Dayton, Davidson and La Salle in their last three.
Last weekend versus La Salle, the Ramblers got off to a 37-28 advantage by halftime. Loyola kept it going with a 27-26 run the rest of the way in a 64-54 win. Dame Adelekun came off the bench to lead the team on a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
ANDREW’S FREE ST BONAVENTURE VS LOYOLA PREDICTION
I’ll probably stay with Loyola in this one. The Ramblers didn’t shoot very well (37.9 percent) in their latest win over La Salle, and they hit just 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from the line. Outside of that however, Loyola wasn’t too bad on 42 rebounds and 39 percent shooting allowed. The Ramblers have been below 70 points in three of the last four games, though.
In the last meeting between these teams on February 27, Loyola took a 79-64 road loss. The Ramblers got off to a rough start in the first half (a 41-26 deficit) and only ended up shooting 38.2 percent from the field. The 19 turnovers for 24 Bonnies points were another area that needs massive improvement in this tournament rematch. Provided Loyola can get off to a better start here (and cut down the turnovers) I think they’ve got a good chance at controlling the flow. I’m probably not touching it, though.
