The Big East’s top team will be at home when the No. 6 Xavier Musketeers (19-2) welcome the St. John’s Red Storm (7-15) to Cintas Center. Action gets underway at 6:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and can be seen on FS1.
The Musketeers had no trouble getting past DePaul 86-65 on Saturday. Trevon Bluiett led all scorers on the team with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Red Storm, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 68-53 loss against Villanova on Sunday. Ron Mvouika played well, recording his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The inefficient offense of the Red Storm (336th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 92.8) will attempt to infiltrate the stingy defense of the Musketeers (30th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 95.0). The matchup on that end of the floor seems to lean toward Xavier.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Musketeers winning the first matchup 74-66. Myles Davis was a standout player in the game, producing 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two three-pointers.
The Musketeers have gone 19-2 Straight Up (SU) and 14-7 Against The Spread (ATS). The Musketeers are a high-volume shooting team from the line with 19.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Musketeers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 16th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 41.5 per game, while the Red Storm rank 145th in the nation with 37.0 per game. Xavier’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation. The Musketeers allow a .305 opponent three-point field goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the nation.
As for their opponent, the Red Storm have 7-15 SU and 7-14 ATS records. When it comes to defending the rim, the Red Storm are one of the best in the nation with an average of 6.1 blocks per game.
Following the Musketeers’ latest win over St. John’s, their SU record against St. John’s moves to 3-2 over their most recent meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 2-2-1. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – Xavier, ATS Winner – Xavier
Notes
Xavier is 19-2 SU in its last 21 games.
Xavier is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Xavier’s last 5 games when playing St. John’s.
In its last game, Xavier won by a margin of 21 points. St. John’s is 1-6 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Xavier has an 8-1 record in blowouts.
The Xavier Musketeers have a defensive rating of 95.0 (ranked 30th), while the St. John’s Red Storm have an offensive rating of 92.8 (ranked 336th).
The St. John’s Red Storm average a field goal percentage of 39.3% this season. The Xavier Musketeers have an outstanding 10-2 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 39.3% or greater.
On average, Xavier attempts 20.0 three pointers and St. John’s attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Xavier Musketeers have a stellar 13-1 record while the St. John’s Red Storm have a subpar 3-7 record.
Xavier ranks 78th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22. St. John’s is ranked lower at 305th with an A/TO of .85.
The Xavier Musketeers are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 41.5 per game (ranked 16th). The St. John’s Red Storm are outside the top 100 with 37.0 rebounds per game (ranked 145th).
St. John’s ranks 151st in offensive rebounds, while Xavier ranks at 33rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, St. John’s forces a turnover rate of 20.4%. When Xavier turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 7-1 record.
