The St. John's Red Storm take on the Iowa State Cyclones. Check out our college basketball odds series for our St. John's Iowa State prediction and pick.

The Saint John's Red Storm are 8-0, and that's certainly good for the program, but we don't yet know how good this team truly is. St. John's has a few power conference victories, including one over rival Syracuse, but Syracuse isn't an especially good team this season. Neither are Nebraska or Temple, the other notable opponents the Red Storm has defeated in the first month of the new campaign. Temple is improving to a degree — it beat Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday — but the Owls have absorbed a lot of bad losses so far this season. Nebraska is once again a basement-hugging team in the Big Ten which does not appear poised to break out of its prison of mediocrity. St. John's needs a high-end win. If it can go into Hilton Coliseum in Ames and beat Iowa State, it would easily be the best win of the Johnnies' season. This is a real opportunity for this group to make a statement. We'll see how this team responds, but nothing which has transpired over the past month offers a strong and clear clue as to what we should expect in this game from the SJU side.

Iowa State continues to display the habits of an NCAA Tournament team. The Cyclones have a clear identity and formula for winning. That's one of the noticeable lessons taught by this team, which does not have elite talent but has a scheme, a philosophy, and an ability to implement the plan on a regular basis. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has excelled in Ames. He got ISU to the Sweet 16 last season, far exceeding expectations and making a strong bid for national coach of the year. Now, in the new college basketball season, ISU is picking up where it left off last March.

Iowa State beat North Carolina and Villanova. The Cyclones show every indication of being able to compete well in the Big 12 Conference and get their share of wins against the other NCAA Tournament contenders in the league. Iowa State is not a mysterious team. There is no pretense with this group under Otzelberger. ISU will play rugged and tenacious defense. It will rebound well. It will go through offensive lulls but will count on defense and rebounding to maximize possessions and reduce an opponent's opportunities to score. That's the whole ballgame for the Cyclones, who will try to throw a monkey wrench into the St. John's offense and the Red Storm's NCAA Tournament plans for the season.

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

College Basketball Odds: St. John's-Iowa State Odds

St. John's Red Storm: +7.5 (-115)

Iowa State Cyclones: -7.5 (-105)

Over: 142.5 (-110)

Under: 142.5 (-110)

Why St. John's Could Cover the Spread

This is a very winnable game for the Johnnies as they go on the road and venture into Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State's offense is creaky enough that SJU can stay in the hunt and then win the game late.

Why Iowa State Could Cover the Spread

The Cyclones play strong defense and don't hide who or what they are. That defense is better than any other defense St. John's has seen this season. It will have a big effect.

Final St. John's-Iowa State Prediction & Pick

You should stay away from this game. The spread opened at ISU -4.5 in some markets, 5.5 in others, and has gone up a few points. If you got ISU minus 4.5, you could try to “middle” your bet, but if you didn't, just stay away. If you insist, lean toward the Johnnies plus the points with the higher spread.

Final St. John's-Iowa State Prediction & Pick: St. John's +7.5