The Big East regular season comes to a close on Saturday with a marquee matchup in Milwaukee. It’s been a dream season for #6 St. John’s, who have lost only two games to conference rivals. However, the Red Storm will face their biggest test yet when they visit #20 Marquette, a squad with championship aspirations. Both programs are hoping to pick up a win over a ranked opponent before the start of March Madness.
The Golden Eagles enter this contest as 1.5-point favorites, with the over/under at 140.5 points. Below is my favorite college basketball pick for Saturday’s showdown on DraftKings Sportsbook:
St. John’s at Marquette (12:00 PM ET)
While UConn has been the class of the Big East in recent years, Marquette has become one of the better programs in the nation. After losing stars Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro to the NBA, head coach Shaka Smart has built his roster around senior Kam Jones. The guard has led the Golden Eagles in points (18.5 PPG) and assists (6.0 APG). This group has depth as well, headlined by forward David Joplin (13.7 PPG) and guard Stevie Mitchell (11.0 PPG).
The visiting Red Storm have been the talk of college basketball. Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino has been a godsend, bringing a historic program back to relevance. Prior to this season, the school hadn’t won a Big East regular season title since 1992. What makes the Johnnies great is their defense, currently ranked 2nd in adjusted efficiency (89.0) on KenPom. RJ Luis (17.8 PPG), Zuby Ejiofor (14.0 PPG) and former Seton Hall star Kadary Richmond (12.8 PPG) have carried the offense.
Considering the amount of firepower in this matchup, it’s no surprise that these offenses like to push the pace. Per KenPom, both teams rank inside the top 30 in quickest time of possession. That doesn’t apply to the other end of the floor, where Marquette has forced the longest average time of possession (19.1) and St. John’s is 22nd (18.4). The two squads also force teams into mistakes, a result of Smart and Pitino’s press-heavy defensive schemes. Marquette ranks ninth in opponent turnover percentage (22.3%), while St. John’s is at 14th (22.0%).
When these programs met on February 4th at Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm eked out a 70-64 victory. Now, the pressure will be on Marquette to win at the Fiserv Forum, where they’ve gone 14-2 this season. Given the close spread, there should be a tournament-like atmosphere in Milwaukee on Saturday. Rather than backing one of these two evenly matched teams, the point total might have more value. When playing at home, the Golden Eagles have held four of their last six opponents to under 60 points. In this Big East regular season finale, it only feels right that fans are treated to another slugfest.
College Basketball Pick: Under 140.5 points (-110)
