It’s a battle for the top spot in the Big East on Sunday when the ninth-ranked St. John’s Red Storm host the Creighton Bluejays.
Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden in New York, with St. John’s sitting as 6-point favorites in the college basketball odds.
My Creighton vs. St. John’s predictions and college basketball picks think the Bluejays can stay in range on February 16.
Creighton vs St. John's prediction
My best bet
Creighton +6 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The St. John's Red Storm is 12-2 atop the conference but the Creighton Bluejays, a game back in the Big East at 11-3, is one of the teams that owns a win against them. Another would ensure the Bluejays own the tiebreaker should the teams end with the same conference record.
Both teams are trying to rebound after watching lengthy win streaks come to a screeching halt.
St. John’s waved goodbye to its 10-game winning streak as they were upset by Villanova 73-71. It was just the third time in the last 11 games the Red Storm had allowed better than 70 points in a game. They’re second in the Big East in scoring defense, allowing just 65.3 per contest.
KenPom has them ranked second overall in defensive efficiency, but that was missing against ‘Nova, who shot 53.1% from the floor and 45.8% from 3-point range.
Creighton, meanwhile, had its nine-game win streak snapped in a 70-66 loss to UConn, in a game the Bluejays squandered a 14-point they had built late in the first half.
It was just the third time in the last 10 games the Bluejays had failed to score at least 73 points and only the third time they’ve allowed an opponent to break the 70-point plateau.
Creighton isn’t as lauded as St. John’s for its defense but they’re 27th at KenPom and first in the Big East in field goal defense, holding teams to a low 41% mark.
They also close the door from distance, holding teams to just 27.9% from 3-point range. The Red Storm are the Big East’s worst 3-point shooting team, at 29.2%, which ranks 345th in college basketball.
The game may be decided at the other end, though. Creighton loves to launch from deep, ranking inside the NCAA’s Top 40 in both attempts and makes, shooting it at a decent 34.4%.
If there’s one place the Red Storm’s defense could be punctured, it might be at the arc, where they are just 212th in 3-point defense.
Creighton has won eight of the last nine head-to-head meetings, going 5-2-1 against the spread. They’re also 27th in KenPom’s strength of schedule metric, going 5-0-1 ATS vs. ranked teams.
There are just enough points on the line to back the ‘dog here.
Creighton vs St. John's same-game parlay (SGP)
Creighton +6
RJ Luis Under 17.5 points
Ryan Kalkbrenner Over 7.5 rebounds
One key injury to note for St. John’s is guard Deivon Smith, who will miss the game because of a neck injury. Missing their fourth-leading scorer might mean a little more scoring output from team leader RJ Luis Jr., but he’s in a slight scoring funk.
The junior forward is coming off a 12-point game against Villanova and has failed to cross the 17.5-point scoring line set for Sunday in four of his last six games.
He also had a nightmarish time in the first meeting against Creighton, shooting 4-for-15 and tallying just eight points.
Center Ryan Kalkbrenner was a big cog in that 57-56 Creighton win over the Red Storm, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.
That has started a streak of at least eight boards in 11 of his last 12, making the 7.5-rebound line for Sunday a very gettable Over.
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Creighton vs St. John's odds
Creighton vs St. John's live odds
Creighton vs St. John's opening odds
- Spread: Creighton +6.5 | St. John's -6.5
- Moneyline: Creighton +221 | St. John's -266
- Over/Under: Over 142 | Under 142
Odds courtesy of bet365
Creighton vs St. John's betting trend to know
The Red Storm’s last six home games vs. the Bluejays have produced a total of at least 144 points. Find more college basketball betting trends for Creighton vs. St. John's.
How to watch Creighton vs St. John's
| Location | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date | Sunday, 2-16-2025 |
| Tip-off | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | FS1 |
Creighton vs St. John's key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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