The Creighton Bluejays take on the St. John's Red Storm. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Creighton St. John's prediction and pick. Find how to watch Creighton St. John's.
Rick Pitino is one of the great coaches in college basketball history. He won national championships at two different schools. Not many men can say that. He has won more than 10 Sweet 16 games and has lost only one. Not many men can say that. He has made the Final Four in four different decades. Not many men can say that. Pitino is a gifted coach with a knack for player development, recruiting hustle, and in-game tactical acumen. He puts a lot of different pieces together and is not overly reliant on one part of his own set of skills. He is elite in several parts of a college basketball coach's job description. That is why he has been so good in this business for such a long period of time (over 35 years).
Yet, as good as Pitino is, even he has to face limitations sometimes. Pitino couldn't orchestrate gigantic transfer portal acquisitions or bombshell recruiting moves to give St. John's a top-tier roster this season. This was the year Pitino inherited leftovers. That's why his frustrations poured out one week ago. He was basically venting about the Johnnies' inability to make the NCAA Tournament this season. St. John's is basically done and dusted as an at-large candidate. Maybe the Johnnies can win five games in a row to make the discussion interesting, but barring that, they will need to win the Big East Tournament to make the field. Pitino will need another year to fully restock this program and put it on the footing needed to become a true player — a real contender — in the Big East Conference.
Here are the Creighton-St. John's College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Creighton-St. John's Odds
Creighton Bluejays: -1.5 (-114)
St. John's Red Storm: +1.5 (-106)
Over: 152.5 (-115)
Under: 152.5 (-105)
How To Watch Creighton vs St. John's
Time: 12:00 pm ET / 9:00 am PT
TV: CBS
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Creighton Could Cover the Spread
The St. John's Red Storm have run out of steam. It's that simple. If you look at St. John's over the past month or so, the Red Storm often get out to first-half leads and then lose their legs and their momentum in the final 10 to 15 minutes of games. Opponents have been able to reel them in down the stretch. St. John's players get tired, shoot long 2-point jump shots, fail to attack opponents the way they did in the first half, and generally lose their energy and the spark that catapulted them to a first-half lead. It's not that Pitino isn't coaching them properly. St. John's just doesn't have the horses, the players who can maintain a top pace and continue to make sound decisions over the course of a full game. Fatigue and a lack of depth catch up with the Red Storm. They just can't play 40-minute games.
Creighton just blew out UConn, the best team in the country. The Bluejays are loaded with talent and will have way too much for the Johnnies.
Why St. John's Could Cover the Spread
The Red Storm have not lacked inspiration going into games. They have often run out of steam at the ends of games. If they can produce a good start, maybe this time they can protect the lead and sustain it. Getting a 10-point lead hasn't been a problem for the Red Storm. Keeping the lead has been the problem. If SJU gets a 10-point lead this time, it won't blow it.
Final Creighton-St. John's Prediction & Pick
This is a game you should stay away from. St. John's might grab a big lead, but there's no way to think the Johnnies will protect it.
Final Creighton-St. John's Prediction & Pick: Creighton -1.5
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