The St. John’s Red Storm (8-21) will close out the regular season on the road when they battle against the Creighton Bluejays (17-11) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The game gets underway at 2:30 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 and will air on FS1.
The Bluejays are hoping for a better outcome after their 66-61 loss to Marquette on Wednesday. Geoffrey Groselle had a solid performance for Creighton, putting up nine points, four rebounds, and two assists. The Red Storm are coming off an 83-75 loss to DePaul on Thursday. Malik Ellison had a solid game for St. John’s, recording 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
Maurice Watson Jr. has really been playing well over the last five games for the Bluejays. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bluejays won the first game 80-70. Groselle had a stellar game with 22 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.
The Bluejays look to build on their records of 17-11 Straight Up (SU) and 16-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bluejays come into the game with the 42nd-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 79.1 points per game. The Bluejays, sporting the 39th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.37), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
On the other side, the Red Storm have 8-21 SU and 12-17 ATS records. They average 6.0 blocks per game, good for sixth in the nation.
The Bluejays’ win over St. John’s in their last game moved their SU record against St. John’s to 3-2 over their most recent meetings. The Red Storm lead the matchup ATS with a record of 3-2. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cre, ATS Winner – Cre
Notes
Creighton averages 79.1 points per game (ranked 42nd). St. John’s, on the other hand, allows 75.2 points per game (ranked 209th).
Ranked 67th, the Creighton Bluejays have an offensive rating of 111.3. The St. John’s Red Storm rank 152nd with a defensive rating of just 104.2.
The St. John’s Red Storm average 72.4 possessions per game and .927 points per possession. The Creighton Bluejays earn fewer possessions with 71.0, but they score more points with 1.113.
Creighton has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.4%. St. John’s is an abysmal 1-11 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Creighton attempts 23.0 three pointers and St. John’s attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Creighton Bluejays have a 13-10 record while the St. John’s Red Storm have a losing 3-11 record.
Creighton ranks 39th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.37. St. John’s is ranked lower at 307th with an A/TO of .83.
St. John’s ranks 170th in offensive rebounds, while Creighton ranks at 52nd in defensive rebounds.
St. John’s has forced an average turnover percentage of 20.2% this season. Creighton is an even 2-2 when its TO% is 20.2% or higher.
