The Bradley Braves and St. Bonaventure Bonnies will face off in their opening game of the 2025-26 college basketball season on Monday morning. Both teams come into this early neutral-site encounter with momentum from strong 2024-25 campaigns. But roster turnover and an early start time could make this an unpredictable game throughout. Here, I break down this matchup in college hoops and give you my Bradley vs St. Bonaventure prediction.
Our Bradley vs St. Bonaventure Pick
- Pick: Bradley Braves −2
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Bradley Braves @ St. Bonaventure Bonnies
- Date & Time: Monday, November 3, 2025, 11:00 a.m. ET
- Venue: Rock Hill Sports & Events Center, Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Broadcast: YouTube stream
Key Storylines
- Bradley finished 2024-25 with an exceptional 28-9 record and went 15-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Their 39.8% three-point percentage last season led the nation and they return several shooters to carry that threat into this year.
- St. Bonaventure posted a strong 22-12 record last year and built a reputation on the defensive end. They are ranked just inside the top third in the country on defense per KenPom’s preseason ratings and will try to clamp down on the Braves here.
- Bradley returns just six players from last season’s roster and only about 26.8% of their previous season’s scoring. Their established system will lean on new faces and incoming transfers to start this season strong.
- The Bonnies also have heavy roster turnover. This year’s team includes 11 new roster members between transfers and freshmen. Chemistry and cohesion early in the season will be key questions, though that is the case for most teams in the age of the transfer portal.
- The way that these teams handle such an early start time is going to be important. A sluggish start can put a team behind for good in college basketball and neither team will be able to ease their way into this game just because it starts in the morning.
Bradley vs St. Bonaventure Model Projection
Score Projection: Bradley 72 – St. Bonaventure 68
Win Probability: Bradley 62%, St. Bonaventure 38%
Final Thoughts
I think we’re in for a close game in the second game of the entire 2025-26 college basketball season. But I think that Bradley has a slight edge over St. Bonaventure overall. The Braves are so efficient offensively, consistently finding ways to score without having to speed things up from a pace standpoint. Their efficiency will get them through this tight contest and I’ll lay the points with Bradley in this matchup.
