It is a Big East battle as St. John's faces Xavier. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a St. John's- Xavier prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
St. John's enters the game sitting at 13-7 on the year, and 5-4 in Big East play. They started conference play strong, winning four of their first five games, but have struggled since. First, it was a one-point loss to Creighton, followed by a 15-point loss to Seton Hall. They then took Marquette to the wire but would lose by one again. Still, they rebounded in a big way. Last time out, they knocked off Villanova by 20.
Meanwhile, Xavier is 10-10 on the ear, and 4-5 in conference play. They have lost each of their last two games but against tough competition. First, it was an 85-78 loss to a 17th-ranked Creighton, and then last time out they lost 99-56 to top-ranked UCONN. This will be the second game of the year between the two. St. John's won the first matchup at home, leading wire to wire, and coming out with the 81-66 victory.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: St. John's-Xavier Odds
St. John's: +1.5 (-122)
Moneyline: -110
Xavier: -1.5 (+100)
Moneyline: -110
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
How to Watch St. John's vs. Xavier
Time: 6:30 PM ET/ 3:30 PM PT
TV: FS1
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why St. John's Will Cover The Spread/Win
St. John's ranks 33rd in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year, sitting 40th on the offensive side and 45th on the defensive side of the adjusted efficiency rankings. St. John's is 69th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting seventh in field goal attempts per game this year, and 31st in field goals made per game. Joel Soriano leads the team on offense this year. He is averaging 16.4 points per game this year, while also shooting 63.5 percent on the season. He gets help from Daniss Jenkins. Jenkins comes into the game with 13.1 points per game this year. Further, he moves the ball well. He leads the team with 5.8 assists per game on the season.
St. John's has been solid in rebounding, sitting 12th in the nation in total rebounds as well this year. They are fourth in the nation in offensive rebounding. This is another area where Soriano has been great. He comes in with 9.1 rebounds per game on the year, with just under four rebounds per game on the offensive side of the ball. He is helped out by Chris Ledlum, who comes away with 7.8 rebounds per game this year, while also scoring 9.6 points per game Like Soriano, over a third of his rebounds come on the offense end of the floor.
The St. John's defense sits 109th in points against per game this year. RJ Luis has been solid on defense this year. He comes in with 1.7 steals per game this year, while Daniss Jenkins has 1.4 per game this year. Further, Joel Soriano has been a presence down low, with 1.7 blocks per game on the year.
Why Xavier Will Cover The Spread/Win
Xavier sits 42nd in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 55th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 47th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Xavier is 104th in the nation in points per game, but they are 226th in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Quincy Olivari leads Xavier. Olivari comes in averaging 17.8 points per game this year while shooting 43.4 percent from the field this year. Further, he shoots 43.9 percent from three this year. Furthermore, Desmond Calude has been solid with 16.0 points per game this year. He is also shooting 41.4 percent from the field this year. Rounding out the top scorers this year is Dayvion McKnight. He has 11.4 points per game this year but is also the leader in dishing the rock. He comes in with 4.8 assists per game this year.
Xavier is 20th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. Still, they are 227th in defensive rebound percentage this year. This is led by Abou Ousmane. He comes in with 6.8 rebounds per game this year, and 61 of his 135 rebounds come on the offensive rebounding side this year. Further, Gytis Nemeiksa comes in with 5.0 rebounds per game this year. Olvari rounds out the top rebounders with 4.8 rebounds per game.
Xavier ranks 190th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, but they are 62nd in opponent effective field goal percentage this year. McKnight has 1.4 steals per game this year while being one of four players this year with over one steal per game.
Final St. John's-Xavier Prediction & Pick
While St. John's has the better record, they have also had an easier schedule. They have the 16th hardest schedule according to KenPom, while Xavier has had the second hardest. St. John's is the better team this year, but with Xavier being at home, and playing better as of late, this will be much closer than the last time they met. Still, St. John's gets the win.
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Final St. John's-Xavier Prediction & Pick: St. John's ML (-110)
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