Baylor vs. St. John's prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

11/20/2024 05:41 PM

St. John’s and Baylor meet in the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Championship on Thursday night! It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Baylor-St John’s prediction and pick.

After losing the opening game of the season to one of the top teams in the country, No. 6 Gonzaga, Baylor has responded with three straight wins including a victory on the road against John Calipari and No. 16 Arkansas. Their latest win was on Sunday as they dominated Tarleton State 104-41. Baylor is now 13th in the country and Gonzaga moved up to No. 3. The Bears now take on a rising St. John’s team, who is aiming to make series noise in the Big East this season.

St. John’s has moved into the rankings at No. 22. They are undefeated with a 4-0 record and are coming off a huge win over New Mexico, 85-71 on Sunday. The Big East is led by No. 2 UConn but Creighton is making noise as well at No. 14 and right behind them is Marquette at No. 15. St. John’s has been competitive for years but has yet to get over the hump. Their last Big East regular-season title was 1992. With Rick Pitino at the helm and in his second season, the Red Storm are now a serious threat.

Here are the Baylor-St. John’s College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Baylor-St. John’s Odds

Baylor: -1.5 (-118)

Moneyline: -128

St. John’s: +1.5 (-104)

Moneyline: +106

Over: 151.5 (-110)

Under: 151.5 (-110)

How to Watch Baylor vs. St. John’s

Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT

TV: CBSSN

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why Baylor Will Cover The Spread/Win

Guard Jalen Celestine led the Bears with 20 points off the bench in the win over Tarleton State. Among the starters, guard VJ Edgecombe was next with 17, and then guard Jeremy Roach ended with 14. Baylor did not need a single leader on offense and spreading the love among the whole team is a good way to handle a dress rehearsal game. At home, Baylor knew that Tarleton State did not pose a threat. They had a very good offensive game which is needed ahead of a matchup like this against a Rick Pitino-led team.

The team has five players averaging double figures in scoring while Celestine is just shy at 9.8 per game. Forward Norchad Omier leads the Bears in scoring at 13.3 per game and then guard Jayden Nunn is right behind him at 13.0 per game. Omier also averaged 10.0 rebounds per game which is tied for 26th in the nation. At only 6-foot-7, the senior from Nicaragua uses his body to box out at a high level. Further, he shoots at a high rate of 61.1% from the floor and averages a steal per game.

Why St. John’s Will Cover The Spread/Win

Rick Pitino had the opportunity to coach against his son, Richard Pitino, and New Mexico over the weekend. That was a cool moment and of course, Richard’s legendary father got the best of him and the reigning Mountain West Tournament Champions.

In that win, guard RJ Luis Jr. led the team in points with 21 and also contributed with 11 rebounds and seven assists. The junior is expected to make a huge leap this season and currently leads the team in scoring and rebounds at 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Guard Deivon Smith was second on the team in points with 15.

Guard Simeon Wilcher is second on the team in points per game at 11 and then Smith is right behind home at 10.5 per game. The Red Storm have four players in double figures in scoring and seven total averaging north of eight points per game.

Final Baylor-St. John’s Prediction & Pick

These two teams stack up well against each other as Baylor is the slightly better offensive team while St. John’s has shown to be an elite defensive team, averaging 6.5 blocks per game and 8.8 steals. Baylor is the stronger team and should cover this spread in what should be a fun night in the Bahamas.

Final Baylor-St. John’s Prediction & Pick: Baylor -1.5 (-118)

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