It will be a battle between Big East opponents when the St. John’s Red Storm (10-6, 0-4 Big East) welcome the Georgetown Hoyas (11-4, 1-3 Big East) to Madison Square Garden. The game is scheduled to get underway at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.
St. John’s opened as a 6.5-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 150.5 points.
Georgetown Hoyas vs. St. John’s Red Storm Free Prediction
The last time the Hoyas played, they were thoroughly outplayed by the Creighton Bluejays, 90-66. Creighton launched 36 three pointers, making 16 of them (44.4 percent), while Georgetown was 6-23 (26.1 percent). Georgetown’s Kaleb Johnson had a good outing, finishing with six points and 10 rebounds.
The Red Storm fell to the DePaul Blue Demons in their last game, 91-74. One of DePaul’s largest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They made 29 trips to the line, while St. John’s went just 14 times. St. John’s’ Bashir Ahmed put together a good performance, leading the team in scoring with 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
Baskets could be hard to come by as two of the nation’s premier defenses face off. St. John’s currently ranks 51st in defensive efficiency (95.4) and Georgetown is 47th (95.4). Moreover, the Hoyas rank 307th in turnover percentage (21.6 percent), while the Red Storm rank eighth in opponents’ turnover percentage (25.2 percent).
Georgetown heads into the game with records of 11-4 straight up (SU) and 5-6-1 against the spread (ATS). Games including the Hoyas have a tendency to finish under the total (63.6 percent).
Meanwhile, St. John’s is 10-6 SU and 6-7-1 ATS. Games featuring the Red Storm also have typically gone under the total (58.3 percent).
After the Red Storm won two out of three games against the Hoyas last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the most recent matchup, St. John’s won 74-73. The Red Storm had a much better turnover percentage (9.6 vs. 15.7) and had a much better free throw rate (0.377 vs. 0.237).
Georgetown Hoyas vs. St. John’s Red Storm Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – St. John’s, ATS Winner – Georgetown, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Georgetown is 2-0-1 ATS on the road with 2 overs and 1 under.
St. John’s is 3-2-1 ATS at home with 2 overs and 2 unders.
Georgetown ranks 21st in rebounds per game (40.6) while St. John’s ranks 244th in rebounds allowed per game (39.8).
The Hoyas rank 12th in assists per game (18.1) while the Red Storm rank 165th (12.9).
St. John’s ranks 17th in steals per game (8.9) while Georgetown ranks 113th (6.2).
The Red Storm average 22.4 three pointers per game, which ranks 123rd in the NCAA. The Hoyas rank 216th in three pointers allowed per game (25.0).
Both of these teams are exceptional at blocking the ball. St. John’s is eighth in the nation with 6.3 blocks per game while Georgetown is 42nd with 4.6 blocks per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Georgetown is 3-1-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
St. John’s is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Hoyas’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.8, down from 10.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Red Storm have scored an average of 72.8 points per game (0.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 82.2 points per game (13.9 above their season average).
