In today’s Big East college basketball matchup, the Villanova Wildcats are taking on the St. John’s Red Storm at Madison Square Garden. Let’s take a look at the top college basketball betting picks and betting trends, then give our Villanova vs St. John’s prediction for the game today.
Villanova vs St. John’s Game Info
No. 15 Villanova Wildcats (17-6, 10-3 Big East) vs. St. John’s Red Storm (13-9, 5-6 Big East)
Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Time: 8:30 PM ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden — New York, NY
Coverage: FS1
Villanova vs St. John’s College Basketball Betting Picks and Odds
All Villanova vs St. John’s college basketball betting odds can be found at BetOnline
Moneyline: VILL: (-190) | SJU: (+165)
Point Spread: VILL: -4 (-110) | SJU: +4 (-110)
Total: 142.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Villanova vs St. John’s College Basketball Betting Preview
Villanova has been solid of late and have won four of their last six with both losses coming against #18 Marquette. Most recently, Villanova captured a nice win over then #17 Connecticut 85-74. Once again, Villanova is one of the most well-coached teams in the nation and have been solid on both sides of the ball. Their defense only gives up 61.7 points per game while they score 73 per game. Although St. John’s wouldn’t usually be of much concern to Villanova seeing they beat them by 11 in their last matchup, Villanova’s leading scorer Collin Gillespie is doubtful for the game with an ankle injury. If he can’t go, this game is wide open for the taking.
The Red Storm have one of the best offenses in college basketball and score just under 80 points per game. Unfortunately, their defense has been a problem on too many occasions and give up 74 points per game. Guard Julian Champagnie is one of the most underrated players in the Big East and averages 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The offense runs through him but also has plenty of role players that can step up when needed. The question that looms large yet again is whether their defense can stop Villanova’s offense.
Villanova vs St. John’s College Basketball Betting Trends
- Villanova is 8-4 in their last 12 games.
- In their last 9 games against St. John’s, Villanova is 2-7 against the spread (ATS).
- St. John’s is 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 5 games.
- The UNDER is 7-0 in St. John’s last 7 games against Villanova.
- St. John’s is 2-10 against the spread (ATS) in their last 12 home games.
Villanova vs St. John’s Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
With Collin Gillespie trending down for tonight’s game, let’s assume he isn’t playing. Even if he were to play, he wouldn’t be anywhere near the player he is when fully healthy. Assuming he’s out, the spread becomes dicey. I still feel confident that Villanova will win this game however.
At the end of the day, Villanova and St. John’s would be the same teams on paper with maybe a slight edge going to St. John’s. The difference however would be the coaching and experience. With that taken into account, Villanova passes St. John’s by a healthy margin. While I don’t feel confident they’ll cover, it would be foolish to bet against Jay Wright when the determining factor will likely be coaching. Pick Villanova to win straight up.
Our college basketball betting Villanova vs St. John’s prediction tonight will be Villanova WINS at BetOnline.
For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives Villanova a 82.8% chance to win.
All college basketball betting lines were retrieved from BetOnline. Click the banner above to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
