St. John’s Red Storm vs Xavier Musketeers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Xavier vs St. John's NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in New York.

Xavier vs St. John's Prediction

The Musketeers and Red Storm are set to face off at 7:00 ET on FS1. The Red Storm will host the game at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The over/under for this Big East conference contest is set at 149.5 points, with St. John's being favored by -7.5 at home against Xavier.

Xavier vs. St. John's Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Xavier Musketeers at St. John's Red Storm
Where: New York at Madison Square Garden
Date: Wednesday, January 22nd
Betting Odds STJOHN -7.5, XAV +245 | STJOHN -312 O/U 149.5

Musketeers Preview: Can the Musketeers Offense Score Enough on the Road?

Xavier Musketeers Recent Game/Games

Xavier improved to 12-7 on the season with a 59-57 win over Marquette on Saturday. The Musketeers were +9.5 point underdogs going into the game and not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread.

Xavier led 35-24 at halftime but allowed Marquette to score 33 points in the 2nd half while only putting up 24 points themselves. The game’s total points (116) fell well short of the 148.5 O/U line.

Musketeers Offense Breakdown

Xavier's offense struggled in their last game, putting up just 59 points while shooting 40.4% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.1%, and they hit only 2 of 17 three-point attempts, shooting 11.8% from beyond the arc.

David Joplin led the team with 18 points, despite shooting 1 of 8 from three. Zach Freemantle added 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Kam Jones contributed 11 points and 6 assists, hitting 1 of 6 from deep.

Musketeers Team Defense

Defensively, Xavier held their opponent to just 57 points on 37% shooting from the field. They gave up 45% shooting inside the arc, with the other team making 15 of 33 two-point attempts.

From three-point range, Xavier limited their opponent to 27% shooting, as they connected on only 8 of 29 attempts. Xavier also sent them to the free-throw line 7 times, where they made 3 for 42%.

Red Storm Preview: Will the St. John's Defense Show Up at Home?

St. John's Red Storm Recent Game/Games

St. John's improved to 16-3 on the season with a dominant 79-51 road win over Seton Hall on Saturday. Entering the game as 9-point favorites, the Red Storm covered the spread with ease.

St. John's jumped out to a 39-16 lead by halftime, and while they allowed 35 points in the second half, they still added 40 points of their own. The total points for the game ended at 130, falling short of the 138.5 O/U line.

Red Storm Offense Breakdown

St. John's put up 79 points in their last game, shooting 46.7% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 53.3%. They hit 38.9% from beyond the arc, connecting on 7 of 18 attempts, and were strong at the free-throw line, making 16 of 20 for 80%.

RJ Luis Jr. led the way with 24 points, shooting 9 of 13 overall and 4 of 5 from three-point range. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Kadary Richmond contributed 12 points and 6 assists, while Isaiah Coleman struggled, hitting just 1 of 13 shots and missing all 5 of his three-point attempts.

Red Storm Team Defense

St. John's put on a defensive clinic, holding their opponent to just 51 points on 26% shooting from the field. They were particularly effective inside the arc, where they limited the opposition to 26% shooting on two-point attempts, allowing just 11 makes on 41 tries.

From beyond the arc, St. John's defense held strong, giving up only 4 threes on 16 attempts for a 25% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 29 times, where they converted 17 for 58%. Despite allowing 19 offensive rebounds, St. John's defense kept their opponent's scoring in check.

Musketeers vs Red Storm Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

The Musketeers are 2-1 ATS in their three last road games and 2-1 straight-up.
When looking at their past three matchups at home, St. John's has an ATS record of 2-0-1 while averaging 72 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
Looking back on the team's last five games as the underdog, the Musketeers have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 3-2.
St. John's has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 5-0 SU and 5-0 ATS in their last five games.