Bradley Braves vs. St. Bonaventure Bonnies Picks and Prediction for Monday, November 3, 2025
Use Code WWWC It’s the opening day of the 2025-26 college basketball season and it brings a non-conference tilt between the MVC and the Atlantic 10 as the Bradley Braves take on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies Monday morning as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon in Rock Hill, South Carolina and we have you covered with our Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure prediction. Bradley finished the 2024-25 season 28-9 overall and fell 67-65 to Chattanooga in the quarterfinals of the NIT. St. Bonaventure finished 2024-25 with a 22-12 mark and lost 75-56 to Kent State in the first round of the NIT. In the all-time series between the teams, the Bonnies own a 3-2 advantage but the Braves picked up a 79-77 win in the Charlotte Invitational in the most recent meeting back on December 30, 1972. Read more about this Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
Bradley Trying to Build On Last Season’s Success
Bradley had a solid season in 2024-25, posting a 28-9 mark overall and went 15-5 in the MVC, leaving them second in the conference standings. The Braves do have to retool this season as coach Brian Wardle is dealing with a new rotation after losing four starters from a season ago. Replacing Duke Deen, Darius Hannah, Zek Montgomery and Christian Davis is going to be a challenge. That quartet contributed 48.1 points per game last season for the Braves, with Deen draining a team-high 111 three-pointers while the other three combined for 121 three-pointers themselves. Bradley did add Alex Huibregtse (13.5 points at Wright State) and AJ Smith (7.3 points, 6.3 boards at James Madison) to add some experience to the mix.
The Braves averaged 76.3 points per game on the season last year, putting them 103rd in the nation in scoring offense. Bradley pulled down an average of 34.4 rebounds per contest while dishing out 14.4 assists a night on the year in 2024-25. The Braves were solid defensively as they gave up 68.5 points a game, leaving them 71st in the nation in scoring defense. Bradley shot 48.3% from the field as a team last season, which is 23rd in Division I. The Braves are connecting on 9.5 three-pointers a night (41st) while shooting 39.8% from beyond the arc as a team, which was first in the country. Bradley was above average at the charity stripe last season, connecting on 74.7% of their attempts this season, putting them 85th in the country. Jaquan Johnson (6.6 points) is the team’s leading returning scorer. Demarion Burch and Corey Thomas are looked at to help contribute with all the new faces in the mix this season.
Bonnies Reloading Again in 2025-26
St. Bonaventure had another solid season in 2024-25 but as has been the trend for coach Mark Schmidt, he is trying to reload the program as players moved on to greener pastures. The Bonnies were 22-12 on the season overall and went 9-9 in Atlantic 10 action last year. St. Bonaventure saw Melvin Council Jr. (Kansas), Chance Moore (West Virginia) and Lajae Jones (Florida State) leave via the transfer portal while Noel Brown graduated. The Bonnies were proactive in adding new pieces as they brought in Frank Mitchell (4.9 points, 4.7 rebounds at Minnesota), Daniel Egbuwine (10 points, 6.5 rebounds at Tennessee Tech), Amar’e Marshall (14 points at Albany) and Darryl Simmons II (17.4 points at Gardner-Webb) to try to and retool.
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The Bonnies were below average on the offensive end of the floor last season, ranking 310th in the country by putting up 68.6 points per contest. St. Bonaventure collected 33.7 boards a game last season while ranking 344th in assists by handing out 11 dimes a night. The Bonnies were elite on the defensive end of the floor as they are 23rd in the nation in scoring defense by allowing 65.2 points per game this year. Dasonte Bowen (11.1 points) is the team’s leading returning scorer, though he missed time with a foot injury. St. Bonaventure shot 44.4% from the field on the year. The Bonnies knocked down 6.2 triples per game while connecting on 31.2% from beyond the arc, which was 320th in the nation. St. Bonaventure was slightly above average at the free-throw line last season, converting 72.9% of their attempts, ranking 148th in Division I.
Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure Pick
Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure Moneyline Pick
- Bradley -113 (4 units)
Both teams are reloading on the fly with so many contributors from last season’s squads having moved on, forcing changes. Bradley brings back six players from last season’s squad but only 26.8% of their scoring from a season ago. St. Bonaventure lost 59.1 ppg from their departures, which accounted for 86.2% of their scoring from the 2024-25 campaign. While both teams brought in some proven pieces to bolster their rotations for this season, it’s going to take some time to get up to speed. Give the upper hand to Bradley as the Braves are a little better offensively at this stage.
Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure Over/Under Pick
- Under 146.5 (4 units)
Bradley split their 36 games in relation to the total last season, though they stayed under the mark in five of their last six games to end the year. The Braves finished last season 92nd in offensive efficiency, ninth in effective field goal percentage (56.9%), first in three-point shooting, 23rd in field goal percentage and 24th in field goal percentage defense (40.5%) last season. The Braves are 272nd in adjusted tempo with 65.9 possessions per game on the year in 2024-25. St. Bonaventure makes every offensive possession a chore for the opposition. The Bonnies were 23rd in scoring defense, 76th in defensive efficiency, 131st in effective field goal percentage defense (50%), 78th in forced turnover percentage (18.9%), 89th in block percentage (11%), 60th in steal percentage (11.3%) and 86th in field goal percentage defense (42.2%) on the season. For good measure, St. Bonaventure limits your possessions: they are 320th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 64.8 possessions a night. Look for this game to wind up falling short of the total thanks to good defense on both sides.
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