The St. John’s Red Storm will try to win their first Big East title in 25 years as they take on the Creighton Bluejays at Madison Square Garden tonight.
The Red Storm are among the hottest teams in the country, and I’m taking them to cover again tonight in my Creighton vs. St. John’s predictions below.
Let’s dig into the matchup for the Big East Tournament final in my free college basketball picks for Saturday, March 15.
Who will win Creighton vs St. John's?
Creighton has never won a Big East title, so the Bluejays will be hungry in this game. But that goes for St. John’s as well, as the Red Storm last won the title in 2000. It’s hard to pick against St. John’s, which is arguably the best defensive team in the country and has now won 18 of its last 19 games overall – even if Creighton is one of the four teams to beat the Red Storm this year. This will be a battle, but behind a home crowd, I’m picking St. John’s to win the Big East Tournament on Saturday.
Creighton vs St. John's prediction
My best bet: St. John's -6.5 (-115 at bet365)
My analysis
I’ve praised the St. John’s Red Storm defense in each of my previews for them throughout this tournament, and I’m going to do it one more time here. They now have the best adjusted defensive rating in the nation via KenPom.com, and have held their first two opponents in the Big East Tournament to an average of just 60 points, showing a renewed defensive intensity that sometimes seemed lacking at the end of the regular season.
Friday’s game against the Marquette Golden Eagles was an excellent example of this, particularly in the second half. St. John’s held Marquette to just 26 points after the break, and only allowed the Golden Eagles to shoot 39% overall, including 20.7% from three-point range. That performance led to a 16-point win, allowing the Red Storm to easily cover, just as they did in their quarterfinal victory over the Butler Bulldogs.
Like St. John’s, the Creighton Bluejays are coming off its own impressive victory over the Connecticut Huskies. However, the Bluejays have shown some vulnerability in their tournament run, needing double overtime to beat the DePaul Blue Demons and nearly coughing up an 11-point halftime lead against UConn before putting the game away.
Even moments of vulnerability will be too much against a St. John’s team that has looked nearly unbeatable in Big East play and which will benefit from playing in front of a raucous New York City crowd. As well as Creighton played in the first two matchups between these teams, I’m expecting a big performance from the Red Storm tonight. I’m taking St. John’s to cover.
Creighton vs St. John's same-game parlay (SGP)
St. John's -6.5
Under 141.5
Ryan Kalkbrenner Under 19.5 points
If St. John’s is going to cover in this game, it will because its defense comes up big yet again, as it has all year long and throughout this tournament. I’m pairing a cover for the Red Storm with the Under, which has been set at a generous 141.5. While these teams combined to go Over that total in their last meeting, I’m expecting something more akin to their New Year’s Eve battle, which ended up with just 113 points scored.
I’m also taking Creighton star Ryan Kalkbrenner to score Under 19.5 points tonight. Kalkbrenner was held to 12 and 16 points in his first two matchups against St. John’s this year, and is coming off a 12-point performance against the Connecticut Huskies in the Big East semifinals. Against one of the best defenses in the nation, expecting Kalkbrenner to score 20 points is just too much, and the Under is a great add to our SGP.
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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 (-105) | St. John's -6.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Creighton +240 | St. John's -300
- Over/Under: Over 141 (-110) | Under 141 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Creighton vs St. John's betting trend to know
St. John’s is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall. Find more Big East Tournament betting trends for Creighton vs. St. John's.
How to watch Creighton vs St. John's
| Location | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date | Saturday, 3-15-2025 |
| Tip-off | 6:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FOX |
Creighton vs St. John's key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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