The St. John’s Red Storm (10-10, 0-8 Big East) look to snap their eight-game losing streak when they square off with the Creighton Bluejays (15-5, 5-3 Big East) at Carnesecca Arena. The game begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
Creighton is a 3.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 156 points.
Creighton Bluejays at St. John’s Red Storm ATS Prediction
In the Bluejays’ last outing, they were defeated by the Providence Friars, 85-71. One of Providence’s biggest advantages was their ability to convert at the free throw line. They were 17-18 (94.4 percent), while the Bluejays were 12-14 (85.7 percent). Marcus Foster was the top scorer from either team with 22 points on 7-for-16 shooting.
The Red Storm were beaten by the Georgetown Hoyas in their last contest, 93-89. Getting to the charity stripe was one of Georgetown’s largest strengths. They had 34 free throw attempts, while St. John’s had 25. Shamorie Ponds had a good performance for St. John’s, leading both teams in scoring with 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting.
St. John’s should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. St. John’s ranks 29th in the nation at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 16.3 percent), while Creighton forces the 18th-fewest turnovers (15.9 percent).
Creighton comes into the game with records of 15-5 straight up (SU) and 11-8 against the spread (ATS). Just over half of the Bluejays’ games have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, St. John’s owns records of 10-10 SU and 8-9-1 ATS. Red Storm games tend to go under the projected point total (56.3 percent).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, the Red Storm lost 78-71 but covered as 11.5-point underdogs. Justin Simon had 14 points, six assists and five rebounds. The game finished with a total of 149 points, which was 8.5 points below the projected point total of 157.5 points. The Bluejays had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (22.2 vs. 5.4) and had a much better free throw rate (0.226 vs. 0.097).
Creighton Bluejays vs. St. John’s Red Storm ATS Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Creighton, ATS Winner – Creighton, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Creighton is 3-5 ATS on the road with 5 overs and 3 unders.
St. John’s is 4-3-1 ATS at home with 4 unders and 2 overs.
Creighton ranks 19th in three pointers attempted per game (27.9) while St. John’s ranks 234th in three pointers allowed per game (24.4).
The Bluejays average 38.5 rebounds per game, which ranks 57th in the NCAA. The Red Storm rank 262nd in rebounds allowed per game (40.5).
Creighton averages 19.2 assists per game, which ranks fourth in the nation. St. John’s ranks 173rd in assists allowed per game (14.2).
The Red Storm rank eighth in steals per game (9.3) while the Bluejays rank 175th (5.3).
St. John’s ranks sixth in blocks per game (6.3) while Creighton ranks 168th (2.5).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Creighton is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
St. John’s is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Bluejays’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 3.2, down from 14.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Red Storm have scored an average of 76.4 points per game (2.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 83.8 points per game (12.8 above their season average).
