The battle of the Pitinos takes center stage in Big East action as St. John’s (18-5) looks to pull into a tie for first place in the league.
Head coach Rick Pitino’s Red Storm handed UConn its first Big East loss on Friday, 81-72 to improve to 11-1 in the conference.
Richard Pitino’s Xavier (12-11) squad tries to bust out of a 1-4 slump the last five games.
Let’s look at the Xavier vs. St. John’s spread prediction for Monday’s showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York, tipping off at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
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Xavier vs. St. John’s Prediction, Spread
The Red Storm rallied past the Musketeers in the first matchup, 88-83, on January 24 in Cincinnati. Xavier led, 49-37 at halftime before the Red Storm outscored the Musketeers by 17 in the second half.
The Musketeers covered as 7.5-point underdogs, but suffered their third straight loss to the Red Storm since last season. All three wins by St. John’s came by 10 or fewer points.
Xavier vs. St. John’s Over/Under, Spread
The Red Storm enter this matchup as 15.5-point favorites, returning a 1.05x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Musketeers are road underdogs with a 7.14x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: St. John’s -15.5
- Over/Under: 162.5
- Game Winner Payout: Xavier 7.14x | St. John’s 1.05x
(Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change)
Xavier vs. St. John’s Numbers to Know
Here are some stats to know to get you set for Xavier vs. St. John’s tonight, including insights on our Xavier vs. St. John’s prediction.
- Xavier looks to rebound after a 92-60 rout at UConn last Tuesday, its fifth consecutive road loss.
- The Musketeers covered five consecutive games from January 7 through 24, before failing to cash in the past three contests.
- The Johnnies seek their 10th straight victory after getting surprised by Providence as 14.5-point favorites, 77-71 on January 3.
- St. John’s owns a 7-2 against the spread (ATS) during this nine-game winning streak.
- The Red Storm are 2-1 ATS in this span as a double-digit favorite, including home blowouts of Butler (92-70) and Marquette (92-68).
- Xavier’s offense stalled recently, scoring 68 or fewer points in three straight games. In the previous four contests, the Musketeers racked up at least 83 points.
- XU runs the fastest tempo in Big East play, while St. John’s sits third.
- The Musketeers hit the over in 10 of 12 conference games, including a 5-1 mark on the road.
- The Red Storm are 6-2 to the over in the last eight contests and drilled the over against Xavier on a 161.5 total.
Xavier vs. St. John’s CBB Player Picks
Here are three top Xavier vs. St John’s picks to target on Monday. Key PrizePicks player projections are headlined by three players: St. John’s F Zuby Ejiofor, Xavier F Tre Carroll, and Red Storm G-F Bryce Hopkins.
St. John’s F Zuby Ejiofor vs. Xavier Projection: 16.5 Points
- Ejiofor leads the Red Storm in scoring at 15.9 points per game (PPG), coming off a 21-point performance against UConn.
- The senior’s worst shooting game in Big East play came against Xavier, when he hit 4-of-11 attempts for 13 points.
- In five home conference contests, he averages 20.0 PPG, highlighted by a 33-point outing in the loss to Providence.
- Xavier allowed eight players to score at least 17 points in the last eight games.
Xavier F Tre Carroll vs. St. John’s Projection: 19 Points
- Carroll is tied for the Big East scoring lead at 17.9 PPG with Butler G Finley Bizjack.
- The senior topped the 21-point mark in five consecutive games before getting held to 9 points in the blowout loss to UConn.
- Carroll converted at least 8 field goals in six straight contests, but UConn limited him to 4-of-9 shooting.
- The Florida native posted a season-high 31 points against St. John’s, hitting 12-of-22 shots.
St. John’s G-F Bryce Hopkins vs. Xavier Projection: 21.5 Pts+Rebs
- The senior’s scoring average dropped from 17.0 PPG last season at Providence to 13.6 PPG.
- In his first season with the Johnnies, he averages 13.2 PPG and 6.8 rebounds per contest in Big East play.
- In the last 17 games, Hopkins finished below this projection 15 times.
- One of the two instances he posted more than 22 points and rebounds came against Xavier, when he scored 18 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in 37 minutes.
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Make Xavier vs. St. John’s CBB Picks on PrizePicks
St. John’s looks to pull into a first-place tie in the Big East with UConn and hopes to avoid a letdown against Xavier.
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There are hundreds of player stat projections on the CBB board for every game; just pick at least two player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks. Or, make your picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 34 states!
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