The St. John's Red Storm take on the Butler Bulldogs. Check out our college basketball odds series for our St. John's Butler prediction and pick. Find out how to watch St. John's Butler.

The St. John's Red Storm have arrived at a point of no return. They are 14-10 and 4-9 in the Big East. They have a road win at Connecticut but not a whole lot else on their resume. If they want to have any slight chance of getting into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, they have practically no margin for error. They have to win nearly every game left on the schedule before the Big East Tournament, and then they need to win at least two games in Madison Square Garden to have any shot at all. Coach Mike Anderson is under fire. He has not been able to turn around this program. There is ample speculation that Bobby Hurley might want a change of scenery and return to his Northeast roots, and there is also speculation that Rick Pitino might be in the market for one more high-major job before the end of his coaching career. St. John's fans are restless. The Lou Carnesecca years are an ever more distant memory of what a proud program once looked like. Anderson has to get on a roll and stay on a roll to save his season.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the St. John's-Butler College Basketball odds.

College Basketball Odds: St. John's-Butler Odds

St. John's Red Storm: +1.5 (-110)

Butler Bulldogs: -1.5 (-110)

Over: 144.5 (-110)

Under: 144.5 (-110)

How To Watch St. John's vs. Butler

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: Fox Sports app

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT

*Watch St. John's-Butler LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why St. John's Could Cover the Spread

This is a must-win game for the Johnnies. That fact alone should bring out a lot of urgency in their play and get them to focus at a level which hasn't often been seen this season. Make no mistake: St. John's is a capable team. The Red Storm handily defeated UConn on the road in New England. If they were able to do that, they can certainly beat Butler. SJU fans will look at that UConn game and wonder why the Johnnies can't play that way all the time. It's the story of the Mike Anderson era, and frankly, it has been the story of the program since Mike Jarvis (who took the team to the Elite Eight in 1999) left. Frustrations aside, St. John's has a much higher ceiling than Butler does as a team. Combine that with the evident urgency attached to this game, and it's clear that SJU — in a contest with a very small point spread — should cover.

Why Butler Could Cover the Spread

The Butler Bulldogs beat Villanova at home and have given other Big East opponents fits in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler can be awful away from home, but this team generally puts up a good fight in its home building. Butler should be able to get off to a good start, play this game the way it wants to, and establish a tempo and trajectory it is comfortable with.

We have to mention how unreliable St. John's is. The Red Storm should be better than what they are, but they just don't value the ball or play each possession with a maximum of care and clarity. The focus of this team comes and goes, which is exactly why Mike Anderson is in trouble and the fan base is demanding change. Typically, when a team is unfocused, it is hard to expect consistency. That is something Butler can take advantage of.

Final St. John's-Butler Prediction & Pick

Stay away from this and any other game between two unreliable teams.

Final St. John's-Butler Prediction & Pick: Butler -1.5