Villanova vs St John's prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

01/10/2025 05:37 PM

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Villanova-St John’s prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Villanova-St John’s.

On a loaded Saturday of college basketball, this game rates as one of the better attractions and, beyond that, a really intriguing game from a betting standpoint. Villanova is clearly getting better under head coach Kyle Neptune. Villanova’s win over UConn earlier this week was massive for the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament chances. They needed a high-end win to significantly improve their bubble position, and they got it. Now they can begin to think about March Madness, and the journey continues with this game against Rick Pitino’s St. John’s team in Madison Square Garden.

St. John’s has endured some brutal losses this season, most notably a loss to Baylor on a buzzer-beating shot in overtime and to Georgia a few days after the Baylor loss. The Johnnies have won their last few games against Providence, Butler and Xavier, but those teams are not NCAA Tournament-level ballclubs. St. John’s has to be able to win games against the upper half of the Big East Conference, and Villanova is playing like a team which is going to be part of March Madness. Villanova was awful in November, but got better in December and has continued to improve in January. If SJU can handle Nova this weekend in the Garden, that will be a clear sign the Johnnies are ready to take the next step and contend for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The expectation is that they will get there, but they have to prove they are up for the challenge and can handle themselves with poise under immense pressure in the media capital of the United States.

Here are the Villanova-St John’s College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Villanova-St John’s Odds

Villanova: +8.5 (-115)

Moneyline: +290

St John’s: -8.5 (-105)

Moneyline: -375

Over: 146.5 (-115)

Under: 146.5 (-105)

How to Watch Villanova vs St John’s

Time: 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

Why Villanova Will Cover The Spread/Win

As we noted above, this is a fascinating game from a betting standpoint. Everyone will see this line and wonder why St. John’s is favored by 8.5 points. Good question. Why is SJU favored by this much? Isn’t Villanova playing better? Isn’t Villanova coming off a huge win over the defending national champions from UConn? Isn’t St. John’s less than elite? Aren’t the Johnnies inclined to play close games? They barely beat Providence. They struggled against Butler. They lost by one to Creighton. Are we really sure SJU is nine or more points better than a Nova team with Eric Dixon, who is one of the best players in the country? It almost seems too good to be true to get Nova plus 8.5 points.

Why St John’s Will Cover The Spread/Win

St. John’s is going to be keyed up for this game at home. The Red Storm will win by double digits if they play their very best basketball. Villanova is coming off an emotional UConn win and might be mentally drained for this one. Vegas knows something casual fans don’t.

Final Villanova-St John’s Prediction & Pick

Nope, we’re not going to think twice about it. We’re taking Nova plus the points. It’s a very large spread. You could also fold SJU into a parlay and play both sides, hoping to win both tickets.

Final Villanova-St John’s Prediction & Pick: Villanova +8.5

The post Villanova vs St John’s prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.