The St. John's Red Storm take on the Villanova Wildcats. Check out our college basketball odds series for our St. John's Villanova prediction and pick.
The Saint John's Red Storm are 11-1 on the season, but are they for real? It's easy to be skeptical. Mike Anderson has had promising St. John's teams in recent years which didn't fully come together and didn't maximize their potential. The Red Storm is hungry for a return to 1980s-era prominence under Lou Carnesecca, but that dream doesn't seem especially close to being realized — not when St. John's has a track record under Anderson of losing the games which are particularly important.
Games such as this one against Villanova are precisely the kinds of games the Johnnies have not won a whole lot in recent seasons.
St. John's has beaten a not-very-good Syracuse team (which lost at home to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night), Temple, and Nebraska. Those are the notable wins on what has been a very soft slate through 12 games. The one especially challenging opponent St. John's has played, in a noticeably difficult situation, was Iowa State on the road in Ames. Hilton Coliseum is one of the tougher road venues in college basketball when Iowa State has a good team. St. John's got blown out by the Cyclones. SJU needs to prove it is for real. No one should be proclaiming that an 11-1 record means the Johnnies are back. They need to make a statement as Big East Conference play ramps up.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the St. John's-Villanova College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: St. John's-Villanova Odds
St. John's Red Storm: +5.5 (-115)
Villanova Wildcats: -5.5 (-105)
Over: 146.5 (-110)
Under: 146.5 (-110)
Why St. John's Could Cover the Spread
This is a crucial game for the Johnnies. They need it so badly. They know it's a huge proving ground. They're going to be very fired up. That's part of the formula for victory in college basketball, where we often see teams soft-pedal it in games played before Christmas. Some crazy upsets are popping up all over the country. Teams which have no business losing certain games to inferior opponents are getting picked off. The latest example was Oregon losing at home to Utah Valley on Tuesday night as a 15.5-point favorite. Uneven energy and flat emotions are responsible for this. St. John's will not be a victim of flat emotions here. You can be sure of that.
The other point to make is that Villanova, without Justin Moore (who will be out several more weeks until his much-anticipated return), is an incomplete and frankly deficient team. First-year head coach Kyle Neptune has had to adjust to this less-than-desirable situation. The lineups he can put on the floor just aren't as good as anything Nova can use with Moore being available. Villanova has lost to Michigan State and Iowa State, but also Portland, Temple, and Oregon. This team is struggling, and St. John's can pick it off.
Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats regularly rise up for Big East games at home, especially against St. John's. Villanova has been the Big East program everyone can count on and trust in big moments, while St. John's has probably been the most exasperating, erratic, inconsistent, and unimpressive Big East program other than Georgetown over the past several years. We keep waiting for the big St. John's breakthrough, but it doesn't happen. Villanova has had a tough season to this point in time, but the Wildcats get better when Big East play arrives and the games get bigger. It's hard to trust Villanova given its limitations, but it's much harder to trust St. John's given how badly it played against Iowa State, a common opponent for these two teams. Villanova challenged ISU much more than the Johnnies did. That is certainly something to keep in mind when you make a pick here.
Final St. John's-Villanova Prediction & Pick
You should stay away from this game. The Johnnies can't be trusted, and Villanova is a flawed team without Justin Moore. Take a pass and study these teams for the next game you pick.
Final St. John's-Villanova Prediction & Pick: St. John's +5.5
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