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How and what to watch for St. John’s vs No. 10 Villanova

The last time these teams faced off, Villanova lost in NYC. Can the ‘Cats handle their business at home?

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Villanova Wildcats guard Justin Moore dribbles against the Creighton Bluejays in the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The St. John’s Red Storm head to Pennsylvania to take on the No. 10 Villanova Wildcats on Tuesday night.

St. John’s (14-9, 8-8 Big East) has lost two of their last three games. and fell by 11 the last time they played VU. The Red Storm are scoring at a solid clip, over 80 points per game, but the defense tends to let them down. Julian Champagnie is the engine that drives the team, scoring over 20 points per game and leading the team in boards and blocks as well. They have just one other player averaging double-figure scoring per game.

Villanova’s offense isn’t as prolific as St. John’s, scoring just 77 points per game, but are ranked as the 5th-most efficient unit in the nation by KenPom. Defensively the Wildcats (14-3, 9-2 Big East) are extremely stingy, giving up just 68 points per game to their opponents. Last time these teams played the Red Storm scored just 59 points. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl leads them in scoring with 15.6 points per contest. He also is tops on the team in rebounds and blocks. They have other players who can get work done too, with a total of five guys averaging in double figures.

KenPom is giving the Wildcats an 83% chance to come away with a win in this one.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch St. John’s vs. Villanova on Tuesday, February 23rd at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network, or you can watch via the CBS Sports app or CBS All-Access with a cable or streaming service login. If you don’t have a cable login, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream it.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Villanova -11.5
Point Total: 154.5
Money line: St. John’s +525, Villanova -715

  • St. John’s has been a solid choice to cover the spread, going 9-2 ATS in their last 11.
  • The total has gone over in all but one of the Red Storm’s last five games
  • Villanova is also on a bit of an over-streak, hitting the over in eight of their last 11.
  • But the under has hit in all of the last five meetings between these two teams.

The Best Bet

Villanova has looked shaky since they were upset by St. John’s earlier this year. The Wildcats are a different beast at home, but the Red Storm won both halves in the last meeting between these two squads. The road team has lost by double-digits just three times this season, and two of those losses came against No. 13 Creighton.

Pick: St. Johns +11.5

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