St. John’s Red Storm vs. Villanova Wildcats Predictions, Picks, Odds

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Late Saturday afternoon college basketball betting action on FOX features a Big East battle between the St. John’s Red Storm and the No. 14 Villanova Wildcats. Game time from Finneran Pavilion is set for 4:30 p.m. (ET)

SCORE PREDICTION

Villanova 71, St. John's 63

BEST BETS

Under 139.5 (-110) at DraftKings

ST. JOHN'S RED STORM VS. VILLANOVA WILDCATS PREDICTIONS

The Red Storm is back to playing a regular schedule after numerous games were cancelled or postponed earlier in the season. In their most recent outing on Monday night, they rolled to an impressive 21-point road win over Seton Hall as 6.5-point underdogs. St. John’s is still just 3-4 straight-up in Big East play as part of an overall record of 11-7.

Villanova is battling Providence for the top spot in the conference standings as the highest ranked team in the Big East. The Wildcats moved to 8-2 SU in conference play with Tuesday’s 24-point romp against DePaul as 17.5-point home favorites. The two losses came against Creighton and Marquette.

The Red Storm showed some heart in Monday’s road upset, but they will need more than that to get past Villanova this Saturday. What St. John’s may be able to do is keep this game close by dialing up its efforts on defense. It was able to hold Seton Hall to 63 points to keep that game UNDER the total line. While I do not see another SU upset in this matchup, I do see an opportunity to bet the UNDER again with the combined score staying lower than expected.

ST. JOHN'S RED STORM VS. VILLANOVA WILDCATS BETTING ODDS

St. John's +13.5 (-110)
Villanova -13.5 (-110)
Over 139.5 (-110)
Under 139.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

ST. JOHN'S RED STORM VS. VILLANOVA WILDCATS BETTING RESOURCES

Matchup: Big East
Date: Saturday, January 29, 2022
Venue: Finneran Pavilion
Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania
TV-Time: FOX - 4:30 p.m. ET

ST. JOHN'S RED STORM BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 11-7
ATS: 7-11
O/U: 9-9

Going all the way back to late November, bettors have been wise to stay away from St. John’s against the spread at 4-11 over that 15-game span. Recent results show an improvement at 3-2 ATS in the last five games. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in the Red Storm’s last four contests.

The duo of guards’ Julian Champagnie (19.5 points) and Posh Alexander (15.0 points) have accounted for almost 43% of the team’s points this season. Champagnie leads the way in rebounds with 6.8 a game and Alexander is adding a team-high 4.9 assists while shooting 49.7% from the field.

Other players of note include Dylan Addae-Wusu and Montez Mathis. These two guards have combined to score another 18.7 points as part of St. John’s team scoring average of 80.3 points per game. Addae-Wusu remains the biggest outside threat with a 40.4 shooting percentage from three-point range.

The Red Storm are shooting 45.2% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range as a team. They are pulling down an average of 38.3 rebounds while holding opposing teams to an average of 73.7 PPG.

VILLANOVA WILDCATS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 15-5
ATS: 12-8
O/U: 9-11

Villanova also has a pair of guards that have contributed heavily to its scoring average. Collin Gillespie leads the way with 17.2 PPG while going 45.7% on his shots from the field and 42.6% outside the three-point line. Justine Moore is a close second with a 15.9-point scoring average. He is shooting 43% from the field while connecting on 39% of his three-point attempts.

Forward Eric Dixon (9.1 points) is the team leader in rebounds with 6.5 a game. Forward Jermaine Samuels is the third player scoring in double figures with 10.5 PPG. Through the team’s first 20 games this season, five of the Wildcats’ top six scorers have played in every game.

Villanova matches up well shooting the ball with a 43.7 field-goal percentage from the field. It is shooting 36.2% from three-point range and 82.3% from the free throw line. Defensively, the Wildcats are giving up an average of 60 PPG.

**Villanova has covered the spread in 11 of its last 16 games as the favorite. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - ST. JOHN'S RED STORM

Record: 11-7
VI Ranking: 84
PS/G: 80.3 (19th)
PA/G: 73.7 (295th)
ORtg: 105.4 (128th)
DRtg: 96.8 (139th)

INSIDE THE STATS - VILLANOVA WILDCATS

Record: 15-5
VI Ranking: 15
PS/G: 72.5 (168th)
PA/G: 60 (15th)
ORtg: 113.7 (16th)
DRtg: 94.2 (74th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

STJ: Julian Champagnie - G (19.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
STJ: Posh Alexander - G (15 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.9 apg)
NOVA: Collin Gillespie - G (17.2 ppg)
NOVA: Justin Moore - G (15.9 ppg, 5 rpg)

ST. JOHN'S RED STORM VS. VILLANOVA WILDCATS BETTING CONCLUSION

As expected, Villanova has gotten the best of this series over the last 10 meetings with seven SU wins. St. John’s has the clear edge against the closing spread at 7-3. Scoring has stayed lower that expected in the last six matchups with the total staying UNDER the closing line in each game.

The Wildcats should have no problem getting another SU win on their home court this Saturday afternoon, but I am not sensing a complete blowout. St. John’s showing up to play should keep the total UNDER again.

ST. JOHN'S RED STORM VS. VILLANOVA WILDCATS BETTING TRENDS

Villanova has covered the spread in 11 of its last 16 games as the favorite.
Villanova has covered the spread in six of its last eight home games.
St. John's has failed to go OVER the point total in four straight games.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson