The St. Bonaventure Bonnies and the UMass Minutemen meet Saturday in college basketball action from Mullins Center. St. Bonaventure sits at 14-16 overall this year. The Bonnies beat Saint Joseph’s in their last game. As for UMass, they’re currently 14-15 after a Wednesday loss to Duquesne. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
St. Bonaventure managed a .500 run across their first 22 outings, going 11-11 in that stretch. Since then the Bonnies are just 3-5 with losses to La Salle, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington and Davidson during that time.
Last weekend versus Saint Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure carved out a 48-38 halftime lead. The Bonnies scored another 41 points in the second half and powered out an 89-76 vitory. Daryl Banks went off for 36 points with four rebounds in the win.
UMass Minutemen
Over on the UMass side, they hit a 13-9 stretch in their first 22 games this year. The Minutemen have since gone just 1-6, taking losses to Davidson, Fordham, La Salle, Loyola IL, Dayton and Duquesne alongside a lone win over Rhode Island.
Back on Wednesday versus Duquesne, UMass was drilled 46-30 in the first half. The Minutemen got better from there on 49 second-half points but still lost 88-79. RJ Luis was the team’s top scorer with 23 points and seven boards.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stick with St. Bonaventure in this one. There’s not a ton to get excited about here as both teams are struggling, but it should be a competitive matchup all the same. St. Bonaventure halted a rough five-game losing streak with their Sunday win over Saint Joseph’s, and they’ve now scored 81 or more points in two of the last three games. The Bonnies didn’t have much trouble the first time these teams met up back on New Year’s Eve. St. Bonaventure bagged a 43-28 halftime edge and cruised to the 83-64 blowout win. I don’t think this rematch will be so lopsided but I still like the Bonnies on a cover/win.