St. Bonaventure vs. VCU Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for A-10 Tournament Quarterfinal

Iain MacMillan | Mar 13, 2025

VCU is a double-digit favorite against St. Bonaventure in the A-10 Quarterfinal. / Matt Lunsford-Imagn Images

The Atlantic 10 regular season champions, VCU Rams, will make start their conference tournament run in the first college basketball game on Friday's schedule when they face St. Bonaventure.

The Bonnies got past Duquesne in the first round on Thursday, but will have a tough test ahead of them on Friday. St. Bonaventure won't be without confidence as the Bonnies were one of only three A-10 teams to hand VCU a loss this season, beating them by a score of 77-75 on New Year's Eve.

Let's take a look at their odds of pulling off the upset in the tournament quarterfinal.

St. Bonaventure vs. VCU Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• St. Bonaventure +10.5 (-102)
• VCU -10.5 (-120)

Moneyline

• St. Bonaventure +460
• VCU -650

Total

• OVER 133.5 (-110)
• UNDER 133.5 (-110)

St. Bonaventure vs. VCU How to Watch

• Date: Friday, March 14
• Game Time: 11:30 AM EST
• Venue: Capital One Arena
• How to Watch (TV): USA Net
• St. Bonaventure Record: 22-10 (9-9 Conference)
• VCU Record: 25-6 (15-3 Conference)

St. Bonaventure vs. VCU Key Players to Watch

St. Bonaventure

Melvin Council Jr.: When the Bonnies upset the Rams, it was on the back of Melvin Council Jr. He put up 20 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. If St. Bonaventure wants to pull off another upset against VCU, it needs Council Jr. to put up another herculean effort.

VCU

Max Shulga: VCU will go as far as Max Shulga can take them. He leads the team in points (15.5) assists (3.8) and steals (1.9) per game. He's important on both side of the court and has also sports an impressive three-point field goal percentage of 41.3%.

St. Bonaventure vs. VCU Prediction and Pick

There's no doubt VCU is the better team, but are they 10.5 points better? I'm not so sure. St. Bonaventure is an average shooting team, ranking just 181st in effective field goal percentage, but they can almost match VCU defensively, something not many other teams in the conference can say.

The Bonnies rank 45th in defensive efficiency and 89th in extra scoring chances per game, averaging +2.0. Those two factors alone can play a big role in keeping their game against the Rams within reach.

It's also worth noting how strong St. Bonaventure has been defending the perimeter, which will be big when it comes to slowing down the Rams' offense, which leans on the three-point shot. Over their last three games, the Bonnies are allowing teams to shoot just 29.6% from beyond the arc. If they can carry that into Friday morning, it'll give them a big advantage against the Rams.

Pick: St. Bonaventure +10.5 (-105)

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