The St. John's Red Storm head to Omaha to take on the Creighton Bluejays in college basketball action on New Year's Eve.
Rick Pitino has helped revitalize the Johnnies program, and my St. John's vs. Creighton predictions are betting on them to pick up a big road win tonight. Here are my best free college basketball picks for this Big East showdown on Tuesday, December 31.
St. John's vs Creighton prediction
My best bet
St. John's moneyline (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The St. John's Red Storm have won six games in a row and are fresh off a 97-76 win against Delaware last Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Creighton Bluejays haven't played since December 21, when they beat Villanova 86-79. The Bluejays are 4-5 in their last nine games, with three of those defeats coming by double-digits.
While they had a 76-63 home win against then No. 1 Kansas during that span, 27 of those points came from Pop Isaacs, who subsequently underwent season-ending surgery. Isaacs was averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game, and his absence has been felt over their last three games.
The Bluejays thrive in half-court sets and prefer a slower tempo, but they don't possess the ability to slow down foes. They'll have a tough defending an uptempo and athletic St. John's squad that loves to run the floor in transition.
Creighton is outside the Top 250 in turnover rate and will struggle against the ball-pressure of the Johnnies, who rank 36th in opponent TO rate (20.9%). The Red Storm are also 24th in the country in rebound rate (55.3%) while the Bluejays have a rebound rate of just 43.5% over their last three games.
The Johnnies have played just one true road game this season, when they barely beat Providence despite the Friars missing their best player. That said, based on quality of shots taken and allowed, they should have won 84-64 per ShotQualityBets.
With the Bluejays coming off a lengthy break and badly missing Isaacs, they won't have the offensive efficiency to keep up with the Johnnies.
St. John's vs Creighton same-game parlay
St. John's moneyline
Zuby Ejiofor Over 7.5 rebounds
Jackson McAndrew Over 1.5 threes made
Despite the presence of 7-foot-1 star center Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton has struggled on the glass lately. St. John's big man Zuby Ejiofor should log plenty of minutes matching up against Kalkbrenner, and he has grabbed 8+ rebounds in eight of his last 10 games.
Creighton freshman Jackson McAndrew has seen his minutes and shot attempts increase after the injury to Issacs. He has scored 13+ points while knocking down at least three shots from deep in each of his last three games. He should eclipse 1.5 threes against a St. John's team that sits outside the Top 200 in in opponent 3-point percentage (34.6%).
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St. John's vs Creighton odds
St. John's vs Creighton live odds
St. John's vs Creighton opening odds
- Spread: St. John's -1 | Creighton +1
- Moneyline: St. John's -115 | Creighton -105
- Over/Under: Over 154 | Under 154
Odds courtesy of bet365
St. John's vs Creighton betting trend to know
The Johnnies are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for St. John's vs. Creighton.
How to watch St. John's vs Creighton
| Location: | CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE |
| Date: | Tuesday, 12-31-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 4:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Peacock |
St. John's vs Creighton key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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