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

01/06/2025 02:42 PM

It is a Big East battle in Cincinnati as St. John’s faces Xavier. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a St. John’s-Xavier prediction and pick.

St. John’s comes into the game at 12-3 on the year, while being 3-1 in conference play. They opened up the year 4-0 before a one-point double-overtime loss to Baylor. They would then beat Virginia before losing to Georgia. St. John’s would rebound to win six straight before a loss to Creighton. Last time out, they faced Butler. It was a one-point game with under four minutes to play, but St. John’s pulled away, winning 70-62.

Meanwhile, Xavier is just 9-6 on the year, and 1-3 in conference play. they opened up the year 6-0, before losing six of their next nine. That includes a close loss for Xavier to UConn, but also one last time out, as they fell to Georgetown 69-63.

Since the 2013-14 season, these two schools have faced 23 times. Xavier leads the series 17-6 in that time. Last year they split the series, with the home team winning each time.

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

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

St. John’s: -1.5 (-104)

Moneyline: -114

Xavier: +1.5 (-118)

Moneyline: -105

Over: 151.5 (-110)

Under: 151.5 (-110)

How to Watch St. John’s vs. Xavier

Time: 6:30 PM ET/ 3:30 PM PT

TV: FS1

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

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

St. John’s sits 13th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 48th on the offensive side while sitting eighth on the defensive end of the court. St. John’s has also scored well. They are 34th in the nation in points per game, while sitting 150th in effective field goal percentage. Further, St. John’s has been great on the glass this year. They are ninth in the nation in rebounds per game.

RJ Luis Jr. leads St. John’s in scoring this year. The guard is scoring 16.5 points per game while being second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game this year. He also has 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game on the season. Meanwhile, Deivon Smith has been solid this year. He leads the team in assists and steals this year. Smith comes in with 4.9 assists per game while adding 2.1 steals. Further, he is scoring 11 points, while adding 5.9 rebounds per game. finally, Kadary Richmond has been solid as well. He comes in with 10.9 points per game while adding 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.

In the frontcourt, Zuby Ejiofor leads the way. He leads the team in rebounding this year, coming in with 7.8 rebounds per game. Further, he is scoring 14.7 points per game, second on the team, while also adding 1.1 steals and 2.1 blocks per game.

Why Xavier Will Cover The Spread/Win

Xavier is ranked 55th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 46th in offensive efficiency and 66th in defensive efficiency on the year. Xavier has been strong on offense this year. They are 60th in the nation in points per game, while sitting 62nd in effective field goal percentage. They move the ball well, sitting 27th in assists per game, tenth in assists-to-field goal ratio, and 34th in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Zach Freemantle has led the way for Xavier this year, leading the team in both points and rebounds this year. He was scoring 16.8 points per game while adding 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Joining him in the front court is Jerome Hunter. Hunter is scoring just seven points per game while adding 3.8 rebounds.

Ryan Conwell has led the backcourt for Xavier. He is second on the team in points with 16.3 points per game, while adding 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile, Dayvion McKnight leads the team in assists this year. He has 4.7 assists per game this year while adding 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. Finally, Dailyn Swain has been great on defense. He leads the team with 1.7 steals per game, while also scoring 9.1 points, and having 4.9 rebounds plus 2.1 assists per game.

Final St. John’s-Xavier Prediction & Pick

This game will be decided by a few key factors. The first is efficiency on defense. St. John’s is slightly better there, sitting 75th in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage, while Xavier is 94th. The second will be forcing mistakes. St. John’s is tenth in the nation in opponent turnovers per game, while Xavier is 185th. Last is tempo. St. John’s is first in the nation in field goal attempts per game, while Xavier is 229th in the nation. Whoever can play at the pace they want to the most will win this game. Recently, that has been St. John’s. Take St. John’s in this one.

Final St. John’s-Xavier Prediction & Pick: St. John’s ML (-114) 

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