Niagara Purple Eagles vs St. Bonaventure Bonnies Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Niagara Purple Eagles vs St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: Reilly Center in Saint Bonaventure, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Niagara Purple Eagles (5-6) are headed to Reilly Center on Saturday where they will try to defeat the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (11-1).

The Niagara Purple Eagles faced Saint Francis (PA) and earned the victory with a final of 69-66 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Purple Eagles ended up with 8 and Saint Francis (PA) accumulated 11 fouls. They also made 10 of their 25 shots from distance. Saint Francis (PA) ended up shooting 50.0% at the charity stripe by burying 2 of 4 shots. On top of that, Saint Francis (PA) grabbed 30 rebounds (5 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Saint Francis (PA) recorded 17 dimes and had 6 steals for the game. In relation to defense, Niagara allowed the other team to shoot 46.6% from the floor on 27 of 58 shooting. They also dished out 17 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 4 steals. Regarding rebounding, they compiled a total of 32 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Purple Eagles converted 6 of 7 tries for a rate of 85.7%. Niagara walked away from the contest having earned a 43.9% field goal percentage (25 of 57) and converted 13 of 30 three-point attempts.

Justice Smith is one player who had an impact for the game. He went 58.3% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists. He played for 25 minutes played and snagged 5 rebounds. He totaled 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting.

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Niagara heads into this game with a mark of 5-6 for the campaign. They are averaging 68.3 pts per contest (317th in D-1) while hitting 43.6% from the floor. The Purple Eagles are hitting 35.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (97 of 275) and 74.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Niagara is pulling down 31.2 boards per game and has racked up 136 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 282nd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 11.1 times per game and as a unit they are committing 15.8 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Purple Eagles are able to force 10.2 turnovers per game while drawing 16.3 personal fouls. They rank 282nd in college hoops in allowing assists with 167 surrendered for the campaign. The Purple Eagles defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 44.5% (279 of 627) and they relinquish 34.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are surrendering 35.8% on shots from distance and they rank 187th in the country in PPG allowed (71.3).

When they last stepped on the court, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies walked away with a victory by a final of 65-48 against Siena. When talking about cleaning the glass, St. Bonaventure allowed Siena to get 28 in total (8 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 23.1% from beyond the arc by connecting on 6 of 26 and finished the contest at 6 out of 8 at the charity stripe (75.0%). The Bonnies allowed Siena to bury 18 of their 56 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 32.1% for this contest. Overall, the Bonnies shot 26 for 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.1%. Regarding 3-point attempts, St. Bonaventure converted 4 of their 20 attempts (20.0%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throw tries for a rate of 90.0%. Siena was called for 9 fouls in the game which got the Bonnies to the free throw line for 10 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 10 steals for the contest. The Bonnies were able to corral 27 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for the matchup.

Chance Moore was important for the Bonnies for the matchup. He made 9 of 15 in this contest for a rate of 60.0%, and accumulated 10 rebounds. He accumulated 23 points in his 36 minutes on the court, but went home with no dimes.

St. Bonaventure has a record of 11-1 for the year. As an offensive team, the Bonnies are hitting on 46.0% from the floor, which ranks 147th in the country. St. Bonaventure has 866 points so far this season (72.2 per contest) and they snag 36.4 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 11.6 times per contest (320th in college) and they turn the ball over 11.4 times per contest. The Bonnies commit 13.6 fouls every game and they connect on 72.2% from the free throw line.

The St. Bonaventure defense surrenders 30.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (91 of 299) and their opponents are connecting on 68.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 11.4 assists and 31.8 rebounds every game, which is 78th and 58th in the nation. The Bonnies on the defensive side of the court are 12th in college in points allowed per game with 60.3. They are forcing their opponents into 14.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 39.0% from the field (34th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Niagara

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