Who’s Playing
VCU Rams @ St. Bona. Bonnies
Current Records: VCU 10-3, St. Bona. 12-1
How To Watch
What to Know
VCU is preparing for their first Atlantic 10 matchup of the season on Tuesday. They and the St. Bona. Bonnies will face off at 2:00 p.m. ET at Reilly Center. Both are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
VCU took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Sunday. They blew past William & Mary 90-70. The Rams have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 19 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead VCU to victory, but perhaps none more so than Max Shulga, who scored 13 points along with six assists and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Joe Bamisile, who went 9 for 15 en route to 20 points.
VCU was working as a unit and finished the game with 25 assists. That’s the most assists they’ve managed all season.
Meanwhile, St. Bona. came tearing into last Saturday’s matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 points) and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victor by a 71-52 margin over the Purple Eagles. The Bonnies were heavily favored coming into this contest, and the results showcase why.
St. Bona.’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Melvin Council Jr., who had 14 points plus eight rebounds and seven assists. Council Jr. has been hot , having also posted three or more steals the last five times he’s played. Another player making a difference was Lajae Jones, who went 6 for 8 en route to 16 points plus eight rebounds and two steals.
VCU’s victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. As for St. Bona., their win bumped their record up to 12-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: VCU has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.9 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like St. Bona. struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 36.4. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
VCU came up short against St. Bona. in their previous meeting back in January, falling 67-62. Can VCU avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
VCU is a slight 2.5-point favorite against St. Bona., according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 134.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
St. Bona. has won 6 out of their last 10 games against VCU.
- Jan 30, 2024 – St. Bona. 67 vs. VCU 62
- Jan 03, 2024 – St. Bona. 89 vs. VCU 78
- Jan 28, 2023 – St. Bona. 61 vs. VCU 58
- Mar 01, 2022 – VCU 74 vs. St. Bona. 51
- Jan 14, 2022 – St. Bona. 73 vs. VCU 53
- Mar 14, 2021 – St. Bona. 74 vs. VCU 65
- Feb 12, 2021 – VCU 67 vs. St. Bona. 64
- Jan 20, 2021 – St. Bona. 70 vs. VCU 54
- Jan 18, 2020 – VCU 91 vs. St. Bona. 63
- Feb 09, 2019 – VCU 85 vs. St. Bona. 55
