The St. John’s Red Storm are in Philadelphia to take on the Villanova Wildcats at 8:00 p.m. ET at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Both teams are currently 5-1 in the Big East, but Villanova has the better overall record at 14-3, while St. John’s is 12-5. The all-time series between Villanova and St. John’s currently sits at 67-66, favoring the Wildcats. The Red Storm won the last matchup, but the Wildcats won the previous three before that. This is the first Villanova vs. St. John’s game to be played at the home of the 76ers since February 2018.
Check out my best bet for tonight’s Villanova vs. St. John’s Big East contest. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Wildcats are a slight underdog at +114 on the moneyline while St. John’s is -1.5.
St. John’s vs. Villanova (8:00 p.m. ET)
Villanova has won two straight and is 7-1 in its previous eight games. The Wildcats average only 78.6 points per game but have five double-digit scorers in their rotation. Veteran guard Bryce Lindsay leads the team with 15.2 points, with Acaden Lewis (12.6 PPG), Duke Brennan (12.4 PPG), Tyler Perkins (11.4 PPG), and Matt Hodge (10.6 PPG) rounding out the double-digit scorers.
St. John’s season hasn’t gotten off to the hot start they’d hoped for. Their last two losses have come against two unranked teams, but they have won two in a row since their last defeat vs. Providence. The Red Storm are 19th on KenPom, with Villanova being 26th. St. John’s is the more balanced team, as their offense ranks 28th and their defense ranks 21st. Meanwhile, Villanova has the 40th defensive rating with the 21st offensive rating.
Although Villanova has a balanced attack and has been performing well, they don’t have as experienced a team. The Red Storm’s frontcourt, featuring Zuby Ejofor and Bryce Hopkins, is an elite veteran duo. Ejofor averages 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.4 steals per contest. Hopkins is averaging 13.2 points and 5.1 boards a game. Even though St. John’s backcourt hasn’t been the most productive, they have a ton of upside. Oziyah Sellers, Ian Jackson, and Joson Sanon are the top three guards for the Red Storm.
Since their last loss, St. John’s has been playing well on offense and defense. They have only allowed 73 or fewer points in their previous three contests, which is impressive. If Ejofor and Hopkins can be effective early in this game, they should be able to wear Villanova down.
