The calendar is about to flip over into the month of February, which means that it’s time to start getting serious about which teams will or will not be in the tournament. While March Madness is certainly edging closer, there is still plenty of time for teams to make a run and get themselves in contention for a playoff spot. There are going to be a lot of teams on the bubble, as we get closer to the end of the regular season, and what they do now might well have an impact on their chances of getting in. That means beginning to pick up signature wins against ranked teams, which is a task that is a good deal easier said than done.
The St. John’s Red Storm are one of the teams that could use a strong finish, which they will hope to get started when they host the Villanova Wildcats on Tuesday night. The #8 seeded Wildcats will head into MSG as a 3 ½ point road favorite as they look to extend their current winning streak. The point total for this one has been set at 146 ½.
Villanova vs St. John’s 2020 College Basketball Odds, Preview & Pick
- When: Tuesday, January 28 at 6:30 PM EST
- Where: Madison Square Garden, NYC
- TV: FS1
- Radio: Villanova / St. John’s
- Live Stream: FoxSportsGo
- College Basketball Odds: Villanova -3.5
Why bet on the Villanova Wildcats?
The standings in the Big East were thrown for a bit of a loop a few weeks back when the Wildcats surprisingly went down to Marquette for just their 3rd loss of the season. What that means now is that Villanova have a bit of an uphill battle ahead of them to become regular season conference champions, with Seton hall still sitting undefeated in conference play.
Since that loss, though, the Wildcats have been hot, reeling off 6 straight wins, although they did need OT to down DePaul during that run. In their last 10 visits to NYC to face St. John’s, the Wildcats have gone 9-1 SU. The Wildcats have covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 games versus teams from the Big East and are also 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games played in the month of January.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 74.32
- Field Goals: 44.32%
- Three Points: 34.95%
- Free Throws: 78.57%
- Rebounds: 36.32
- Average Score Against: 66.16
- Field Goals: 43.47%
- Three Points: 29.83%
- Free Throws: 69.14%
- Rebounds: 34.16
Why bet on the St. John’s Red Storm?
After a solid start to the season, the wheels have come of in a big way for St. John’s, with a rather rough run of form in conference play. The Red Storm are now well off the pace being set by the teams, including Villanova, at the top of the conference, going just 2-6 in those outings. They are coming off a win against DePaul, the team with the worst record in the Big East after losing 3 in a row.
While they have not been winning, the Red Storm have still been a very decent bet against the spread, going 4-1 ATS in their last 5 overall, as well as 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. The UNDER seems to be the bet with these guys, too, as 15 of their last 20 games have gone that route.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 75.52
- Field Goals: 41.05%
- Three Points: 30.16%
- Free Throws: 69.93%
- Rebounds: 40.10
- Average Score Against: 69.05
- Field Goals: 39.10%
- Three Points: 31.05%
- Free Throws: 66.88%
- Rebounds: 41.10
College Basketball Betting Trends for Villanova vs St. John’s
- Villanova is 6-3 ATS in the last 9 games
- Villanova is 6-0 SU in the last 6 games
- The total went UNDER in 7 of Villanova’s last 9 games
- St. John’s is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
- St. John’s is 2-6 SU in the last 8 games
- The total went UNDER in 8 of St. John’s’ last 10 games
Villanova vs St. John’s Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
Given the current form of both teams, I am little surprised that the point spread is just 3 ½ in favor of the Villanova Wildcats. I see that as an excellent wagering opportunity, though, which is why I am on them to win and cover.
Villanova Wildcats 74 St. John’s Red Storm 66
