Xavier vs. St. John's prediction, pick, college basketball odds

Yesterday at 04:19 PM

St. John’s welcomes Xavier for a competitive Big East matchup on Wednesday night. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Xavier-St. John’s prediction and pick.

Xavier started the season ranked with a win over South Carolina but then immediately lost to Michigan after that. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Musketeers but the good news is that they are recently coming off a huge win on the road against No. 7 Marquette, 59-57. Earlier this month, Zavier hosted St. John’s and lost by 10 points. This will be the second and final meeting between these two historic programs. The Musketeers are winners of three straight.

St. John’s is well-coached by Rick Pitino. He has led them to be the 20th-ranked team in the AP Poll. They are at home where they are a perfect 12-0 this season. At 7-1 in the Big East, the Red Storm are atop the conference 0.5 games ahead of Marquette. St. John’s has wins over New Mexico, Virginia, Kansas State, and Villanova. Their lone conference loss came on the road against Creighton in a one-point game.

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

College Basketball Odds: Xavier-St. John’s Odds

Xavier: +6.5 (-102)

Moneyline: +235

St. John’s: -6.5 (-120)

Moneyline: -295

Over: 149.5 (-115)

Under: 149.5 (-105)

How to Watch Xavier vs. St. John’s

Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT

TV: FS1

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

Why Xavier Will Cover The Spread/Win

Xavier has proven that they can go into opponents’ territories and win. They did that against Marquette on Saturday. It took a team effort and a lot of defensive success to get it done, but Xavier managed to shut down a very good team. They now have to do the same thing again on the road against St. John’s. Xavier held Marquette to just 37.1% from the floor. St. John’s shoots 45.5% from the field so it is possible it can happen again.

In the first meeting, the Red Storm shot 42% while Xavier shot 36.7%. Three-point shooting did not exist on either side. There were a lot of missed shots and a major reason why St. John’s controlled the game was rebounding. They outrebounded Xavier by 20. The Musketeers must do a better job rebounding in this game if they want to keep it close. They cannot allow 20 offensive rebounds again.

This team has two players who average over 16 points per game. Zach Freemantle averages 16.8 and Ryan Conwell averages 16.5. In the loss to St. John’s, Freemantle scored 22 but Conwell only reached nine. They both are going to need to score 15+ in this game. We know Conwell can score. He scored 34 in the win over Villanova but then turned around and scored six against Marquette. The Musketeers need better consistency from him.

Why St. John’s Will Cover The Spread/Win

Rebounding was key for the Red Storm in the last win over Xavier. That should play a part again. St. John’s is a much better rebounding team averaging 41.9 per game. In fact, they are 7th in the nation in boards and 7th in offensive boards per game at 14.9. They are getting around 15 second chance opportunities each game which is why they have seen the success they have. If they can see that same success this time around then they will cover this spread on their way to a big win.

On the defensive end, St. John’s is 18th in the country in steals per game at 9.7. When the opposing team’s shots are not going in the hoop, then St. John’s is grabbing possession. That is a great sign when betting on this team to win. They have more possessions than everyone else because they know how to create them.

The Red Storm contain four players who score in double figures with RJ Luis Jr. leading the way at 17.8 per game. He scored 18 against Xavier last time out and recently scored 24 in the win over Seton Hall. He has scored 20+ in six games this season.

Final Xavier-St. John’s Prediction & Pick

St. John’s is only 11-7-1 against the spread this season while Xavier is 11-8. St. John’s covered in the last meeting as they were favored by just one point and won by 10. At home where they are a perfect 12-0, I expect the Red Storm to cover once again.

Final Xavier-St. John’s Prediction & Pick: St. John’s -6.5 (-120)

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