We’ve got a legendary coaching matchup set for Sunday in the second round of March Madness. Rick Pitino and Bill Self led their teams to victory on Friday in the Round of 64, and now they’ll show down with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
St. John’s took care of business against Northern Iowa with a 79-53 win. Once again, its defense looked exceptional. Zuby Ejiofor led with 14 points and 11 rebounds along with four blocks in only 27 minutes of action. If the Red Storm want to make a run, they need Ejiofor in top form.
Kansas has a similar wire-to-wire win against Cal Baptist. Potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Darryn Peterson, racked up 15 points in the first half, almost outscoring CBU by himself. Kansas’ defense swarmed, holding CBU to 22% shooting in the first half. The Lancers put up a late second-half comeback, but it wasn’t enough to win the game. Kansas will have to keep winning in order to prove the doubters wrong.
Let’s take a look at the opening odds for this St. John’s-Kansas matchup.
St. John’s vs. Kansas opening odds
St. John’s opens as 2.5-point favorites and holds -148 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Kansas has +124 odds to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 143.5 points.
St. John’s is continuing its resurgence under Pitino, winning the Big East regular-season and conference tournament titles for the second straight season. After a disappointing exit in the Round of 32 last season, taking a step forward this year is a big deal. A huge roster overhaul improved its offense, and though the defense has slipped a bit, it was still a top-25 group in the country. The senior trio of Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, and Oziyah Sellers will hope to carry them into the Sweet 16.
Kansas chatter has started and ended with Peterson. The No. 2 recruit in the country, Peterson’s lingering issues have cast a cloud over his immense talent. But he looked like himself in the Round of 64, and that kind of scoring talent can take them places. Peterson has a solid supporting cast, including Flory Bidunga, Tre White, and Melvin Council Jr.
