Game of the Night
St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. St. Joseph’s Hawks – 7 ET
In what could be one of the biggest bubble games of the next couple weeks, St. Bonaventure looks to add a huge win to their resume when they face off against the first-place Hawks of St. Joe’s. In the previous meeting between these two teams, the Bonnies knocked off SJU, essentially springboarding themselves back into the NCAA tournament race. A second win over their conference foe would again do dividends for their tourney status this time around.
St. Bona enters with the hot hand, having won eight of their last nine games, including their three most recent over Dayton, Duquesne and UMass. This has been due in part to the consistency of their scoring trio that includes Marcus Posley, Jaylen Adams and Dion Wright, all who now average at least 16.2 PPG. The Bonnies will need to rely heavily on the three-pointer (39 points scored off threes in the last matchup) to take this game out of the Hawks’ hands.
Where St. Joe’s does have the advantage is in the post. The Bonnies are going to have to answer for DeAndre’ Bembry, the 6-6 forward who is currently a frontrunner for A-10 Player of the Year. Bembry put up 22 points and 7 assists in the previous matchup between these two teams and again will be an important factor SBU has to account for. This not to forget the Hawks’ leading scorer Isaiah Miles who is averaging 20.2 PPG over his past five contests. We’ll see who is tasked with stopping him.
KenPom gives St. Joe’s a 59% chance of taking this one home, but this should be a fairly even matchup regardless. We”ll reevaluate St. Bona’s bubble status after this game.
Elsewhere in A-10 Action
VCU Rams vs. Davidson Wildcats – 7 ET (CBSSN)
In the lone nationally televised game of the night, VCU looks for an important win over Davidson to boost them back to the right side of the NCAA tourney bubble. The Rams, 21-8 (13-3 A-10) hold a share of the conference lead, but many experts still believe that they have some proving to do before they can be considered a lock for the Big Dance. It will be interesting to watch Davidson’s offense (25th Adj. Offensive efficiency) against VCU’s Havoc defense (30th Adj. Defensive efficiency) as they battle for time of possession. KenPom favors VCU 86-75 in this game.
La Salle Explorers vs. Saint Louis Billikens – 7 ET
While neither team is likely postseason bound, La Salle is fighting to not finish last in the conference while SLU looks to avoid finishing at the bottom for the second year in a row. Both teams have struggled this season, but with a win both teams could boost themselves out of the gutter. KenPom has La Salle winning 65-64, and truth be told, this isn’t a game that you’re gonna want to watch.
Duquesne Dukes vs. Fordham Rams – 7 ET
With a win in this game, Duquesne could assure that they finish above .500 on the season. This would be the Dukes’ first time doing so since 2012. Fordham, on the other hand, is going to finish with their first winning season since 2007. Duquesne is projected to win 77-72, and if they do so, it will be at the hands of Micah Mason, the team’s leading scorer that has put up above double-digits in his last four games. The Rams have to be on the lookout if they don’t want to get outshot by the 6-2 senior.
