The Creighton Bluejays (11-3, 1-1 Big East) welcome the St. John’s Red Storm (10-4, 0-2 Big East) in a matchup that pits sensational offense against superb defense. The game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 3, 2018.
Creighton opened as a 12-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 156 points.
St. John’s Red Storm vs. Creighton Bluejays Betting Prediction
The Red Storm are trying to rebound after their 75-70 loss to the No. 23 Seton Hall Pirates in their last outing. Seton Hall’s 0.246 free throw rate was their biggest advantage over St. John’s, who had a rate of 0.119. The Pirates’ mark was above their season average of 0.239, while the Red Storm’s was below their season average of 0.252. Tariq Owens was St. John’s’ leading scorer with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
The last time the Bluejays played, they dismantled the Providence Friars, 83-64. The Bluejays made 19 of their 23 free throws (82.6 percent) and held the Friars to an effective field goal percentage of 0.411 (below their season average of 0.538). Marcus Foster was Creighton’s high scorer with 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
This matchup pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Creighton currently ranks ninth in offensive efficiency and St. John’s is 30th in defensive efficiency.
St. John’s comes into the game with records of 10-4 straight up (SU) and 5-6-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to place the total high when the Red Storm are involved, as 60.0 percent of their games have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Creighton is 11-3 SU and 8-5 ATS. Contrary to St. John’s, games including the Bluejays tend to go over the total (69.2 percent).
After the Bluejays won both contests against the Red Storm last season, these teams will go head-to-head for the first time this year. In the last contest, Creighton won 82-68. The Bluejays made 18 of their 22 free throws (81.8 percent) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (27.9 vs. 15.9).
St. John’s Red Storm vs. Creighton Bluejays ATS Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Creighton, ATS Winner – Creighton, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, St. John’s is 2-5 ATS with 4 unders and 3 overs.
At home, Creighton is 6-2 ATS with 5 overs and 3 unders.
Creighton averages 28.1 three pointers per game, which ranks 14th in the NCAA. St. John’s ranks 225th in three pointers allowed per game (24.8).
The Bluejays rank 34th in rebounds per game (40.2) while the Red Storm rank 235th in rebounds allowed per game (39.2).
Creighton ranks fifth in assists per game (19.6) while St. John’s ranks 164th (13.1).
The Red Storm rank 16th in steals per game (8.9) while the Bluejays rank 165th (5.3).
St. John’s ranks fifth in blocks per game (6.6) while Creighton ranks 138th (2.9).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, St. John’s is 1-3-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Creighton is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Red Storm have been outscored by an average of 5.0 points in their last five games. On the season, St. John’s has defeated opponents by an average of 7.9 points.
During their last five games, the Bluejays have scored an average of 92.0 points per game (0.9 above their season average) and allowed an average of 66.6 points per game (5.8 below their season average).
