The St. Bonaventure Bonnies (20-9) visit the Colorado Buffaloes (21-11) in an NIT first-round game in Boulder. The contest at the CU Events Center is slated to tip off at 11 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the St. Bonaventure at Colorado odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
St. Bonaventure took fourth place in the Atlantic-10 Conference regular season. The Bonnies were 8-1 over their last nine regular-season games but were bounced by Saint Louis in their first A-10 Tournament game (57-56). The Bonnies have clamped down defensively of late. Since Feb. 8, they’ve yielded just 62.0 points per game, while forcing 15.0 turnovers per contest.
Colorado placed fourth in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes have displayed solid defense and marvelous 3-point shooting, but they were not able to match last season’s success when they were a 5-seed in the NCAA tourney. Colorado had a rough 1-5 stretch mid-winter, but, including a Pac-12 bracket loss to No. 2 Arizona, the Buffs are 8-2 since that slump. Over those last 10 games, CU has shot a blistering 43.3% behind the arc, en route to sinking 9.0 treys per game.
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
St. Bonaventure at Colorado odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:22 p.m. ET.
- Money line: St. Bonaventure +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Colorado -180 (bet $180 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): St. Bonaventure +3.5 (-108) | Colorado -3.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 139.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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St. Bonaventure at Colorado odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Colorado 72, St. Bonaventure 66
Money line
PASS at the current price, but those with bigger bankrolls should consider a line watch here.
St. Bonaventure is below-average against the 3-ball and it gives up a ton of attempts from beyond the arc. That’s a bad combination for tired legs in a high-elevation road tilt.
A two-thirds win expectation for the Buffs is fair. The -180 tag is worth leveraging as a high-risk percentage play.
Against the spread
The Buffs are 12-5 straight up at home. The Bonnies are 1-8 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a winning home record.
With Colorado at home — and here it’s more of a fade against St. Bonaventure on the road (where the Bonnies are 2-6 against the number) — and the Buffs being an improved bunch offensively late in the season, COLORADO -3.5 (-112) is the best side in this matchup.
Over/Under
PASS on a well-made total with crisscrossing analytic and trend signals.
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