Saint Louis Billikens vs St. Bonaventure Bonnies: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

When: Sunday, March 17th at 1pm EST.

How (TV/Radio): CBS

Saint Louis Billikens

Head Coach: Travis Ford {Overall: 23-12, .657 W-L% | Conference: 10-8, T-6th in Atlantic 10}

The Billikens look to make their return to March Madness for the first time since making it three years straight from 2012-2014. Saint Louis was able to win at least one game in each of those tournaments. The Billikens will have their work cut out for them, as they will have to defeat a Bonnies squad they have not beaten since 2014.

These two teams faced off against each other once this season, which happened to be the finale on March 9th. Saint Louis came up short in a 66-57 loss where they were led by Tramaine Isabell’s double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore forward Hasahn French added 14 points in a game where the Billikens shot a woeful 34% from the field.

Saint Louis will enter this game brimming with confidence, after hammering second-seeded Davidson yesterday, 67-44. Senior guard Javon Bess was the top scorer with 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting, while Isabell followed with 19 points. A key factor in the win was Davidson’s 26% shooting from the field, which included 7 of 30 shooting from beyond the arc.

St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Head Coach: Mark Schmidt {Overall: 18-15, .545 W-L% | Conference: 12-6, 4th in Atlantic 10}

A win in this game will secure St. Bonaventure’s second straight NCAA tournament bid, and eighth in program history. The Bonnies have never made it to consecutive tournaments in their 99-year history.

The Bonnies will look to continue their dominating run over Saint Louis. Senior forward Courtney Stockard had 21 points and 7 assists in the March 9th regular-season finale victory while freshman guard, Kyle Lofton, added 14 points of his own.

Prior to reaching the finals, St. Bonaventure easily handled eighth-seeded Rhode Island in the semi-finals on Saturday. The Bonnies came away with a 68-51 win over the Rams, as Lofton was the top scorer with 23 points, while senior forward LaDarien Griffin and freshman guard Dominick Welch each contributed 13 points.

Saint Louis Roster Notes

Freshman forward Carte’Are Gordon is no longer with the team, as he elected to transfer after playing only 13 games.

St. Bonaventure Roster Notes

There are no injuries or roster changes to report for the Bonnies

Head-to-Head: Jordan Goodwin vs Kyle Lofton

Jordan Goodwin

Shooting Guard | 6-3, 210lb (190cm, 95kg) | Althoff Catholic HS | Centreville, IL | Sophomore

10.5 PPG | 3.6 APG | 7.3 RPG | 1.9 SPG | 0.3 BPG | 2.5 TOV | .401 FG% | .256 3P%

Kyle Lofton

Guard | 6-3, 180lb (190cm, 81kg) | Putnam Science Academy | Hillside, NJ | Freshman

14.1 PPG | 3.7 APG | 2.5 RPG | 1.4 SPG | 0.0 BPG | 2.0 TOV | .452 FG% | .330 3P%

Even with one-and-done phenoms dominating college basketball, mid-major conferences are usually headlined by traditional, 4-year players. The players in this matchup are bucking that trend, as they have quickly become key contributors despite their youth.

Ranked as the 52nd recruit in the nation in 2017, Jordan Goodwin chose Saint Louis to stay close to home and be an instant contributor. The 6-3 guard has managed to lead the Atlantic 10 conference in offensive rebounds this season in spite of his height, which makes up for his dismal perimeter shooting numbers that should improve in future seasons.

Despite not being highly recruited like Goodwin, Kyle Lofton has proven to be a spark-plug for the Bonnies as a freshman starter. Coach Mark Schmidt has placed a lot of trust in Lofton, as the New Jersey native ranks third in the conference in minutes played. He has also displayed his ability to go on scoring binges, as evidenced by his 32 point outburst against George Mason on February 17th when he hit 7 of 8 from three-point range.

Saint Louis vs St. Bonaventure Predictions and Odds

This is predicted to be a very tight game with most oddsmakers favoring the Bonnies by one point over the Billikens in this neutral site game. The over/under is currently 119.5 according to most sportsbooks.