St. John’s vs. Villanova Pick
Will No. 2 Villanova cruise to a win in its Big East Tournament opener when it faces St. John’s today at Noon ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Villanova is favored today, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -14 points. The over/under total for the game is listed at 149 points. These two met twice during the season with Villanova winning both contests by double digits, but each team covered the spread in one of the two games. This game takes place from Madison Square Garden in New York.
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Villanova is the top seed in this tournament after going 28-3 overall and 15-3 in the Big East this season. The Wildcats ended their regular season on a two-game winning streak while also covering in both wins. Nova is 16-14 against the spread on the season. It averages 77.5 points per game on offense while allowing just 63.1 points per contest on defense. Josh Hart is a Player of the Year candidate after averaging 18.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game on the season. Jalen Brunson adds 14.8 points per contest.
St. John’s is the eighth seed in the Big East Tournament and the Red Storm picked up a 74-73 win over Georgetown on Wednesday to reach this game. The Storm are now 14-18 on the season following this win. They also are 16-15 against the spread. St. John’s averages 77.1 points per game on offense, but allows 77.8 on defense. Shamorie Ponds is leading the team with 17.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while Marcus LoVett is adding 16.4 points per contest.
Bet on the Big East Tournament
Villanova comes in fresh and should be ready to go today. The Wildcats already own a pair of lopsided wins over the Red Storm and today should be no different. While St. John’s is essentially home, it is coming off a hard-fought win over Georgetown last night, so the Storm should be rather tame this afternoon.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: VILLANOVA -14