It’s been a story of haves and have-nots in the Big East. #18 St. John’s (23-6, 16-2) falls into the former category, looking for a second-straight conference title. As for Georgetown (13-16, 5-13), it’s been more of the latter. The Red Storm will hope to take care of business on Senior Night this evening at Madison Square Garden.
St. John’s enters Tuesday as 16.5-point favorites (-105) over Georgetown. The total is set at 148.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here’s a college basketball pick, preview and prediction for tonight’s game between the Hoyas and Red Storm.
Georgetown vs. St. John’s prediction, preview
This season has been quite the disappointment for Georgetown. Now in Year Three under head coach Ed Cooley, the team hasn’t shown noticeable signs of improvement. The Hoyas sit at 90th on KenPom with a +9.01 net rating. However, it’s also fair to say they’ve been somewhat snake-bitten. Georgetown has a -.072 luck rating, 335th out of 365 Division I programs. Look no further than the school’s nine single-digit losses against Quad 1 and 2 opponents.
It’s not as if the Hoyas are bereft of any talent on their roster. The team’s biggest strength is in the back court. KJ Lewis (14.9 PPG, 2.5 AST) and Malik Mack (13.8 PPG, 4.2 AST) form one of the Big East’s better guard tandems. However, the former is listed as out for the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury. Depth is a major issue; just four healthy Hoyas are averaging more than 5.5 points per game. To make matters worse, the team has posted a mediocre 108.5 defensive rating, fifth-worst in the conference.
The Red Storm went through the full range of emotions last week. A 72-40 blowout loss to #4 UConn was followed up by an 89-57 drubbing of Villanova on Saturday. I’m more inclined to believe in the latter performance than the former. After all, the Johnnies have now won 14 of their last 15 matchups. One slip-up in Hartford isn’t enough to ruin all of that goodwill. Rick Pitino’s squad is one of the nation’s deepest, thanks to a versatile, dangerous starting lineup. Leading the way is Zuby Ejiofor, a contender for Big East Player of the Year. This season, the center is putting up 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.
As previously mentioned, SJU has plenty of weapons at its disposal. In the front court, Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins (13.6 PPG, 5.6 REB) has been terrific. The back court duo of Ian Jackson and Oziyah Sellers have found their stride, as well. Supporting pieces such as Dillon Mitchell, Joson Sanon and Dylan Darling have been two-way difference makers, as well. As a team, the Red Storm own a 95.0 adjusted defensive efficiency, 14th-best on KenPom.
Georgetown vs. St. John’s pick, best bet
If Lewis were healthy, I’d be all over Georgetown as nearly 20-point underdogs. However, an already shaky Hoyas squad now travels to MSG without their leading scorer. That’s a dangerous proposition against most squads, let alone ranked St. John’s. When these teams last met in December, the Red Storm earned a 12-point road win. At home, an even better showing won’t come as a surprise.
