St. John's vs Seton Hall Odds
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +100 | 146.5 -110o / -110u | -111 |
| Seton Hall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -122 | 146.5 -110o / -110u | -108 |
Here's everything you need to know about St. John's vs. Seton Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 16 — our expert pick and college basketball betting guide for today.
It's starting to feel like the old Big East is back with the toughness and physicality of the conference's current teams. Nobody fits the tough and physical billing more than the Seton Hall Pirates. And Rick Pitino will certainly make sure his St. John's Red Storm defend.
We're looking at two NCAA Tournament teams, so let's get into our St. John's vs. Seton Hall prediction and preview.
St. John's Red Storm
St. John's season changed for the better once UMass transfer RJ Luis Jr. returned from injury. Luis plays stout defense, and is the Red Storm's third-leading scorer at 11 points per game. Pitino constantly criticized his teams lack of defensive effort early, and the defense has dramatically improved since Luis arrived.
Another player who didn't contribute much early is freshman Brady Dunlap. He's a difference-maker as another shooter in St. John's offense, scoring nine or more points in two of the past three games. His floor-stretching prowess next to Joel Soriano is a perfect fit for the Red Storm's offense.
Soriano is an absolute stud big man. He didn't get the attention last year since the team wasn't good, but he's finally receiving national attention. In his final college season, the 6-foot-11, 255-pound big is averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. He'll pose a difficult matchup for Jaden Bediako.
The biggest advantage in St. John's profile against Seton Hall is tempo. The Red Storm want to play fast, ranking 76th in Adjusted Tempo, while Seton Hall ranks 281st. St. John's can really exploit this Seton Hall defense with transition threes like Butler did the other day. That's where Jordan Dingle and Nahiem Alleyne become key.
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Seton Hall Pirates
The metrics don't match the eye test with Seton Hall's defense. I think this unit is far better than the 88th-best defense in the sport, where KenPom puts it.
Kadary Richmond is firmly in the Big East Player of the Year discussion. The 6-foot-6 point guard loves getting into the paint using his size and strength, either finishing at the rim or kicking to shooters. He's averaging 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest. Al-Amir Dawes is one of the streakiest scorers in the Big East, but he'll have plenty of chances from Richmond creating looks. Dawes scored 23-plus points in two of the past three games, including against Marquette.
One of the biggest strengths in Seton Hall's game comes on the offensive glass, ranking top 10 in offensive rebounding percentage. On almost 40% of misses, the Pirates haul in the offensive rebound. The main reason for Seton Hall's rebounding improvement is Bediako, who grabs over four offensive rebounds per game. Bediako's hands will be full against the dominant Soriano, and the depth behind him is razor-thin.
St. John's switched to playing a matchup zone under Pitino, so getting into transition before the zone gets set could be Seton Hall's plan. The starting guard trio of Richmond, Dawes and Dylan Addae-Wusu are willing passers, so forcing turnovers and playing a full-court game fits the Pirates best. Seton Hall wants a more methodical game, but that's not ideal against the high-octane Red Storm.
St. John's vs. Seton Hall
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Red Storm won five consecutive games, four in conference play, before blowing a road game against Creighton on Saturday. We're talking about one of the hottest teams in America and a team that's humming on both ends.
Just for reference on how good St. John's has been over the past month, BartTorvik ranks them as the ninth-best team in America since Dec. 15. That's an entire month-long sample of playing truly elite basketball. I'm backing Pitino's squad here.
Pick: St. John's -1 (Play to 3.5)
