The final game of today’s New Year’s Eve college basketball slate features a Big East matchup between the St. John’s Red Storm and the Georgetown Hoyas. St. John’s has a 69-57 all-time record against Georgetown and has won nine consecutive games against the Hoyas. Georgetown’s last win against St. John’s came in December 2020. Both teams enter this game with four losses, with St. John’s having eight wins while Georgetown has nine.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, St. John’s is a -9.5-point favorite with Georgetown being +350 to win this contest. The Red Storm are 1-0 in the Big East with a win over DePaul, while Georgetown has started 1-1 in the conference. Georgetown beat Marquette and lost to Xavier to begin their Big East schedule. Here is my best bet for tonight’s St. John’s vs. Georgetown matchup.
St. John’s vs. Georgetown (8:00 p.m. ET)
St. John’s began the season ranked No. 5 and currently is unranked in the latest AP Poll. Three of their four losses were to top-25 teams, with the fourth against Kentucky. Although the Red Storm has struggled against the top competition this season, they have found success against their other opponents.
The Red Storm has five players averaging double-digit points per game, with veteran Bryce Hopkins leading the team with 13.9. Zuby Ejiofor averages 13.8 points and 7.2 boards per contest, but has four games with under 10 points. Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon, and Oziyah Sellers make up St. John’s backcourt, with each possessing a ton of upside.
Georgetown is coming off a 30-point victory over Coppin State on December 22 and is 3-1 in its previous four games. The Hoyas have five players averaging at least 10 points per game, with Malik Mack (14.5 PPG) and KJ Lewis (14.3 PPG) being the team’s top two leading scorers. Both guards are talented but have been inconsistent as Mack has three games with under 10 points in his last five. Lewis has scored 15 points in back-to-back games, but finished with zero and six points before that.
Even though they have the same number of losses as St. John’s, the advanced ratings don’t see the two teams as closely matched. KenPom has Georgetown ranked No. 101 overall, with St. John’s at No. 19. The Red Storm have the 18th-best defensive rating (96.9) and the 38th-best offensive rating (119.9). Meanwhile, Georgetown’s offense ranks 118th (113.4), while its defense ranks 193rd (68.8).
This season, seven of St. John’s eight wins have been by at least 10 points. Georgetown’s last loss was by only three points against Xavier, but their two losses before that were by 20 and 13. Georgetown has shown flashes of greatness this season, but St. John’s is the more talented team and should be able to wear the Hoyas down over 40 minutes. St. John’s has excelled against unranked teams, and I see another big win for them against Georgetown.
