Predicting St. Bonaventure vs. Colorado and Odds for the NIT Opening Round

The Colorado Buffaloes #4 21-11 ended the regular season nervously and took down the St. Bonaventure Bonnies #5 20-9 in the first round of NIT today at 11:00 PM EST.

Colorado have won eight of their last 10 games with a 7-2-1- against spread (ATS) record. They took down Arizona and narrowly won a second time in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament but failed.

St. Bonaventure, meanwhile, has lost two-thirds after a seven-game winless streak. Saint Louis beat them by one goal in the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament to end their NCAA Tournament hopes, but the Bonnies are still suffering from ATS 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Please check More odds at WynnBET to see which team is worth our money in today’s NIT Open Round match:

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There are a few factors in favor of the Buffaloes in this matchup. First, the Bonnies were really struggling offensively towards the end of the year. In the last five games, they’re in the 2nd percentile for attack ratings thanks to the first percentile for real-shot rates. They get to the free-throw line at one of the lowest rates in the country, so if they don’t take shots they won’t score.

Colorado’s offense has been much better over the past few weeks, hitting just under 40% of the arc. With their grooved attacking play and effective defense in the top 50, the Buffaloes have the edge everywhere before you factor in their resilience and superior bench.

Speaking of benches, St. Bonaventure doesn’t actually have one. Four players average more than 37 minutes a game and only six players average at least 10. This game is in Colorado and altitude will be a factor. I tried hiking once without preparing for the full “altitude” and it was a disaster – I can’t imagine playing nearly 40 minutes of basketball on it immediately after a tournament tired conference.

The Buffaloes have 10 players averaging more than 10 minutes per game and they will be more than prepared to overcome last week’s fatigue.

In the end, Colorado won the games it had to. In 2022, the Buffaloes use the 7-2-1 ATS as a favorite. The Bonnies are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as underdogs and I expect both of those trends to continue.

Select: Colorado -3.5 (-110)

Follow all of Joe Summers’ betting selections this.

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