Xavier vs. St. John’s Pick
Is No. 6 Xavier in danger of being upset when it goes on the road to face St. John’s tonight at 8:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Xavier is favored on the road, as the Musketeers are getting odds of -5 points against St. John’s. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 152.5 points. Tonight’s game is set to take place from Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York and will air live on the CBS Sports Network.
Xavier has won four straight coming into tonight’s game, including an 89-70 win over Marquette last week. The Musketeers are 19-3 overall, 7-2 in the Big East and 15-7 against the spread. Xavier averages 84.7 points per game on offense this season while allowing 72.8 per contest. Trevon Bluiett is leading Xavier with 18.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while J.P Macura is adding 13 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
St. John’s is in a massive losing streak right now, dropping 10 straight. The Red Storm is now 10-12 overall, 0-10 in the Big East and 9-11 against the spread. St. John’s is scoring 72.5 points per game on offense while allowing 72.1 per contest on defense. Injuries have played a roll this season, but the team still has Shamorie Ponds, who is averaging 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Justin Simon is adding 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per contest.
Xavier has won five straight meetings with St. John’s, but the Red Storm have covered in four of the five games. That includes an 88-82 win for Xavier at home on Jan. 17. The injuries for St. John’s have really weakened the Storm in Big East play. Over their last five they are giving up nearly 80 points per game and scoring just 70. St. John’s will need a much better performance than that to beat Xavier. I think the Musketeers will be able to outclass St. John’s tonight and get the road cover. The public betting is backing Xavier heavily tonight as well.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: XAVIER -5