St. John's vs. Villanova Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, and Picks - December 21 | 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Season
The St. John's Red Storm has gotten off to about as strong of a start as possible, winning 11 of their first 12 games. They'll look to keep the good times rolling when they travel to Philly to take on the Villanova Wildcats, who have won four in a row after a 2-5 start to their season.
This will be the 128th all-time meeting between these conference rivals. Villanova currently leads the series 64-63 after winning the last four matchups between the schools.
Tonight we'll see if St. John's can snap their skid against Villanova, or if the Wildcats will continue to outlast the Red Storm.
St. John's vs. Villanova Betting Odds
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St. John's vs. Villanova Match Details
Fixture: St. John's Red Storm @ Villanova Wildcats
Date and Time: Wednesday, December 21, 6:30 p.m. EDT
Venue: Finneran Pavilion
St. John's vs. Villanova Key Stats
St. John's fantastic start can largely be credited to their scoring prowess. They score the 39th most points per game, averaging 80.9. Villanova's offense is very far behind, averaging only 71.0 points per game, 211th in the nation.
St. John's shoots at a far higher percentage also. They're currently knocking down 47.1% of their shots, as opposed to Villanova, who is only hitting 43.6% of their shots.
Villanova also lags in rebounding, blocks, and steals per game. The Wildcats average 31.2 rebounds per game, 1.6 blocks, and 5.3 steals. The Red Storm is averaging 42.7 boards, 4.0 blocks, and 9.2 steals per game.
In terms of points allowed per game, both teams are similar. Villanova allows 67.5 points per game (148th), and St. John's allows 67.6 (153rd). However, St. John's holds opponents to a far lower shooting percentage. Opponents shoot 40.8% against St John's defense, while other teams shoot 44.2% against the Villanova defense.
St. John's vs. Villanova Betting Prediction
For all of their struggles in out-of-conference play, Villanova protected their home court throughout, winning all four of their games.
They're also playing much better lately, indicating that their early season struggles may have been due to adjusting to a new coach.
Everything so far this season indicates that St. John's is the better team, but I expect this game to be tight from start to finish, especially on Nova's home court. St. John's covering seems like the best play here.
Prediction: St. John's +5.0 (-110)
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