St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Picks, Predictions, Odds

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Dec. 17, 2021

Dave Schwab
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

In an early 4:00 p.m. ET tip from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, the Atlantic 10’s St. Bonaventure Bonnies will square off against the ACC’s Virginia Tech Hokies as part of this season’s Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout. The national broadcast of this game will be covered by ESPN2.

Score Prediction

St. Bonaventure 66, Virginia Tech 62

Best Bets

St. Bonaventure +3 (-110) at Atlantis

St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Predictions

The Bonnies have won eight of their first 10 games straight-up in non-conference play. The highlights include back-to-back victories over Clemson and Marquette as slight favorites. They are coming off a 10-point loss to Connecticut on Dec. 11 as four-point underdogs. The other loss was against Northern Iowa on Nov. 27 closing as 9.5-point favorites.

The non-conference portion of the schedule has been more a roller coaster ride for Virginia Tech at 7-4 SU. A five-game winning streak to start the new season has been followed by four SU losses in the last six outings. The Hokies closed as favorites in those last three setbacks. In their only matchup as underdogs, they lost to Memphis 69-61 getting 3.5 points.

St. Bonaventure has yet to really be tested this season with a soft schedule. Yet, I believe it is up to the task against a Virginia Tech team that is reeling right now. The Hokies’ level of competition has been much tougher but their lack of consistent play on the offensive end of the court remains a major concern. This creates a great opportunity to bet the Bonnies SU on the money line.

St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Odds

Odds Provided by DraftKings - Subject to Change

• St. Bonaventure +2.5 (-110)
• Virginia Tech -2.5 (-110)
• Over 129.5 (-110)
• Under 129.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Resources

• Matchup: A-10 vs. ACC
• Date: Friday, December 17, 2021
• Venue: Spectrum Center
• Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
• TV-Time: ESPN2 - 4:00 p.m. ET

• Injury Report
• Wooden Award Odds
• Conference Futures Market
• Power Rankings

St. Bonaventure Bonnies Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 8-2
• ATS: 3-7
• O/U: 5-5

The Bonnies have been a tough bet against the spread after failing to cover in their last five games. They are 3-7 ATS overall with the total going OVER in five of their last seven games. They could actually benefit from the neutral court in this matchup.

One of the biggest concerns in this game is the playing status of standout guard Kyle Lofton. He has missed his last three games with an ankle injury and remains questionable for Friday. Fortunately, St. Bonaventure is deep in scoring with four other players averaging at least 10 points per game.

Guard Jaren Holmes tops that list with 17.4 PPG. Jalen Adaway is next with an average of 14.6 points while shooting 49.1% from the field and 45% from three-point range. Adaway leads the team in rebounds (7.8) while Holmes tops the list in assists with 4.9 a game. Guard Dominick Welch has been another productive player with 11.2 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.

As a team, St. Bonaventure is averaging 73.8 PPG and shooting 46% from the field. That number drops to 34.2% from three-point range. The depth of scoring among the starters is impressive but bench depth remains an issue. Defensively, the Bonnies are allowing an average of 66.8 points a game.

Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 7-4
• ATS: 7-4
• O/U: 3-8

Virginia Tech slipped to 2-4 both SU and ATS in its last six games with last Sunday’s 62-57 loss to Dayton as a slight 2.5-point road favorite. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of its first 11 games.

While the Hokies have been able to play at a high level at times, they have also lost a few games they should have won. The main strength of this team remains a defensive effort that is only giving up an average of 57.2 PPG.

Averaging 70.3 points at the other end of the court, forward Keve Aluma leads a trio of players scoring in double figures. He is averaging 14.4 points with 6.4 rebounds a game. ForwardJustyn Mutts (10.1 points) leads the way in both rebounds (7.4) and assists (2.9).

The Hokies are shooting 45.5% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range to hold the slight edge in this department. They are pulling down an average of 34.2 rebounds a game. The team’s shooting percentage from the free throw line is 71.7%.

St. Bonaventure has failed to cover the spread in five straight games. (AP)

Inside the Stats - St. Bonaventure Bonnies

• Record: 8-2
• VI Ranking: 57
• PS/G: 73.8 (137th)
• PA/G: 66.8 (147th)
• ORtg: 107.9 (88th)
• DRtg: 97.7 (195th)

Inside the Stats - Virginia Tech Hokies

• Record: 7-4
• VI Ranking: 76
• PS/G: 70.3 (217th)
• PA/G: 57.2 (14th)
• ORtg: 107.4 (95th)
• DRtg: 87.4 (32nd)

Key Players to Watch

• STBO: Jaren Holmes - G (17.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 4.9 apg)
• STBO: Jalen Adaway - G (14.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
• VT: Keve Aluma - F (14.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
• VT: Nahiem Alleyne - G (11.1 ppg)

St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Conclusion

With Lofton back in the lineup, I would feel even better about taking the Bonnies SU. However, the overall talent across this starting five should be able to get the job done. They are catching Virginia Tech at the right time in light of the Hokies’ inability to finish strong in tight matchups.

The last time these two teams faced one another was in 2011, so recent trends do not come into play. Current form is the primary difference maker in Friday’s matchup with a much heavier lean towards St. Bonaventure.

St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Trends

• St. Bonaventure has failed to cover the spread in five straight games.
• St. Bonaventure has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last 10 games.
• Virginia Tech has covered the spread in six of its last nine games when playing as the favorite.
• Virginia Tech has gone UNDER the point total in eight of its last 11 games.

VegasInsider Staff

More from VegasInsider Staff