St. Bonaventure
– return 80.5% of minutes
– improved guard depth on transfer market
– Osunniyi defensive impact will determine how far the team goes
– must simplify defense to avoid confusion on perimeter
When it comes to betting the Bonnies it comes down to a couple key factors. One being Osun Osunniyi being healthy. the numbers are hard to ignore. They win with him in the lineup & do not without him. His 1st injury coincided with a 1-4 start & his concussion was the beginning of a 3 game losing streak in A-10 play. From a betting perspective this is a team that if they can shore up the defense and get to the free throw line more they can remain a valued program in our betting arsenal. We can sell points on totals with this squad. The improved guard depth may be better defensively but can be aided by more trips to the free throw line.
-Over in all games was 18-11-1 by avg 3.3 pts
-After a loss 8-2 overs by avg 4.7 pts
-Conference games 12-5 to the over by avg 4.7pts
-As a underdog 7-3 to the over by avg 9.5 pts
-17-12 all games ats
-at home 8-4 ats
-as a favourite 12-7-1 ats
-conference games 11-7 ats
-Coach Schmidt squad will hopefully still be valued in these situations & not have to rely on playing his 3 jr guards as much with the reinforcements he secured via the transfer market.
-Jalen Adaway can play small ball 4 & with his energy and ability to drive to the bucket, it will help in an area of need on offense.
-Anthony Roberts comes in from Kent St as a starter who could give you 17-21 and consistently over double figures. Roberts will give u good man to man defending. He’ll force a turnover & get to the line.
-Coach Schmidt wanted guys who do things his nucleus doesn’t do well. This is another guy who can come off the pine & give them a good defender & a guy who will take it to the rim.
-The final addition of Eddie Creal is a high flyer point machine. All these guys bring elements that are needed to win the A-10 hopefully what they bring on defense will be balanced out by their offensive impact.
-When we are talking about betting the Bonnies on the spread it like this: If Osunniyi is in the lineup this is a team to be on the side of. If not we fade because Jalen Shaw who will be the backup is not on the level to make the impact to cover up the Bonnies defensive flawed scheme.
-Take away those three losses Osunniyi missed and these records look a lot sexier. Hence why I’m a little higher this yr presuming he’s in the lineup.
-This is a squad I wanna look at overs in the 61-65 range in 1st half’s. Full game overs anywhere from the 120’s to 137.5 with the possibility of selling a a few points.
-Kyle Lofton needs to continue to stay on the floor, run the offense but needs to take it stronger to the rim where he’s a good Ft shooter instead of leaners and off balanced shots.
-The combo of Dom Welch and Jaren English complement each other One being a slasher and the other being a board crashing 3pt assassin.
-They are good at Neutral sites which will play a factor at the MTE they play vs Towson & SFA. Towson will be an intriguing matchup with Zane Martin and Curtis Holland joining the squad. Not sure how large of impact they make game 3. The game vs SFA is one they need to have a better showing unlike vs Ohio last yr. This is a game i anticipate being favoured in both, however the totals will be our main focus in these first few games.
-I watched this team win as a 7.5 pt dog vs Rutgers when they played the James Naismith Classic in Toronto and that was without Osunniyi. I expect even better with him in play.
-They have a bullet off the bench named Alejandro Vasquez and he is the x factor for this team. Explosive off the bounce, scores in transition like a gazelle, cold blooded with his shot confidence which hurt him a little during the yr. However this is a guy that will impress even among a crowded backcourt.
The mission is simple. If they stay healthy this team can fill our coffers. If not they still may be able to do so.
Author: Maxwell Smart (@cbms420)
