St. Joseph’s vs. St. John’s Pick
The Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase gets underway this afternoon when St. John’s takes on Saint Joseph’s at 4:30PM ET.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, St. John’s is favored in today’s game, as the Red Storm are getting odds of -8 points against St. Joseph’s. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 146.5 points. Today’s contest is taking place from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and will air live on ESPNU.
St. Joe’s ended a two-game losing streak on Sunday with a 72-59 win over Maine. The Hawks are now 5-5 on the season overall and just 3-5 against the spread. St. Joe’s is putting up 74.6 points per game on offense while allowing 76.3 on defense. Shavar Newkirk is leading the team with 16.9 points and 3.5 assists per game while James Demery is adding 16.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
St. John’s is coming off a 69-59 win over Iona to improve to 9-2 on the season. The Red Storm are 5-4 against the spread this season, but have covered in three of their last four games. St. John’s is averaging 74.3 points per game on offense while allowing 63.8 on defense. Shamorie Ponds is leading the team with 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Marcus LoVett, who is averaging 14.9 points per game, is out due to a knee injury.
Bet on Saint Joseph’s vs. St. John’s
These two last met in 2013 with St. John’s getting a 63-61 victory as a 6.5-point underdog. St. Joe’s has struggled against the Big East, going 0-7-1 against the spread in their last 8 against the conference. They also have failed to cover in six straight at a neutral site. St. John’s is 5-1 against the spread in its last 6 against A-10 opponents and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 Wednesday games. The public betting is with St. John’s and I agree with them.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: ST. JOHN’S -8