The Xavier Musketeers take on the St. John's Red Storm in New York, NY. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
St. John's is favored by 14.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1700. The total is set at 162.5 points.
Here’s my Xavier vs. St. John's predictions and college basketball picks for February 9, 2026.
Xavier vs St. John's Prediction and Pick
My Pick: St John's -14.5 (Play to -17)
My Xavier vs St. John's best bet is on the Red Storm to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Xavier vs. St. John's Odds, Spread, and Total
| Xavier Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+14.5 -110 | 162.5 -110o / -110u | +950 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-14.5 -110 | 162.5 -110o / -110u | -1700 |
- Xavier vs St. John's spread: St. John's -14.5
- Xavier vs St. John's over/under: 162.5 points
- Xavier vs St. John's moneyline: Xavier +950, St. John's -1700
Xavier vs St. John's NCAAB Preview and Pick
Xavier Musketeers Betting Preview
A classic Pitino vs Pitino battle.
Xavier is off to a rough start in the first year of the Richard Pitino era, sitting at 12-11 overall and 4-8 in Big East play. The roster is entirely new from last season, so it makes sense for there to be first-year hiccups.
The Musketeers kept it close in their first meeting against the Johnnies, losing by five in Cincy.
Xavier is very limited in its scoring capabilities. The Musketeers attempt 3s at a 41% rate and connect on a strong 36% from deep. The concern is Xavier's lack of interior punch, as it hits just 48.9% from 2-point range.
All five of Xavier's starters can shoot it. The younger Pitino trots out a trio of bigs (Filip Borovicanin, Jovan Milicevic, Tre Carroll) — each of them is 6-foot-8 or taller and can hit a 3. The best shooter of the bunch is Milicevic at 41%, but Carroll is the team's leading scorer.
On the defensive end, Xavier is a bit of a mess. It ranks 110th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, but it allows opponents to shoot 54% on 2s and 34% from deep — both of which are outside the top 200 nationally.
Turnovers are a pivotal part of a Pitino defense, but this team forces turnovers just 17% of the time. With the lack of live-ball turnovers, it's tough to get running in transition.
St. John's Red Storm Betting Preview
St. John's is fiery hot lately. The Red Storm are winners of nine straight games and snagged a big home win over UConn on Friday.
Naturally, this seems to be a letdown spot for them.
The Johnnies are terrific at being a physically imposing force on the block. They're relentless on the offensive glass, grabbing 37% of their misses, and they also get to the free-throw line at a 43% rate.
You can thank the bigs — Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins — for both stats. Ejiofor and Hopkins each struggled in the first meeting against Xavier. Ejiofor scored 13 point son 4-for-11 shooting and Hopkins scored 18 on 7-for-17. Given Xavier's rim-defending troubles, that feels like an outlier.
Ejiofor leads the team with 15 points and Hopkins is second with 13 points per game.
The guard play is still very up-and-down for the Red Storm. Oziyah Sellers is the best of the bunch, averaging 10.9 points while shooting 36.7% from deep. Ian Jackson has some strong moments, but he's streaky. In late moments, Dylan Darling is usually the one operating the offense to limit potential turnover woes.
From a matchup standpoint, St. John's can make life tough for Xavier's limited offense. The Red Storm only allow opponents to shoot 3s on 34% of field goal attempts, a top-50 mark in the country.
The constant full-court pressure and long-armed defenders can get out and contest jumpers, so that leads to teams shooting the ball inside more often.
Everything for the Johnnies boils down to that pressure. They rank 17th in KenPom's defensive efficiency and force turnovers on 20% of defensive possessions. Xavier turns it over just 14% of the time, but it gave the ball over 19 times against Seton Hall, so it definitely is capable of being loose with it.
How To Bet My Xavier vs. St. John's Pick and Best Bet
I'm going to lay the points with the Johnnies.
Xavier will get blown out if it doesn't shoot well from deep, as it did in the first matchup.
If the paces are the same on both sides ( both teams want to play fast), that'll favor the more talented, more athletic Johnnies.
My Pick: St. John's -14.5 (Play to -17)
