The Villanova Wildcats sure are enjoying their No. 1 ranking in the AP poll. And with a punching bag team in the form of the St. John’s Red Storm visiting them on Saturday, the ‘Cats are expected to win their fifth in a row. But will Chris Mullin’s boys be able to pull off a giant upset (or at least cover the spread)?
Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our preview of UCLA vs. Arizona.
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St. John’s Red Storm vs. Villanova Wildcats Preview
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova
When: Saturday, February 13, 8:00 PM ET
Line: St. John’s Red Storm at Villanova Wildcats – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
Betting on the St. John’s Red Storm (7-18, 0-12 Big East)
It’s easy to see why St. John’s has been winless so far in conference play. The Red Storm have the poorest field goal shooting percentage (39.5), the lowest points per game average (66.7), and are third worst in rebounds per game (36.3) in the Big East. The Red Storm shot 42.7% from the field in the loss to Georgetown, which was likely made possible by the lengthy garbage time, and were massively outrebounded by the Hoyas, 39-27.
It’s hard to make a case for St. John’s winning against newly minted AP poll No. 1 Villanova given the Red Storm’s utter lack of positive attributes. At best, Durand Johnson and Federico Mussini could get hot enough and help St. John’s cover the spread.
The Red Storm were able to give the Wildcats a scare in the first half of their previous meeting, a 68-53 Villanova victory on January 31, in which St. John’s was trailing by just a point at halftime. The final score could’ve been closer had it not for Mussini scoring just three points in that contest on 1-for-8 shooting.
Mussini and Johnson are the leading scorers on the team with each putting up 11.9 points per game on the season. Johnson had a better showing in the first meeting with Villanova, scoring 13 points and collaring three rebounds.
St. John’s is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games.
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Betting on the Villanova Wildcats (21-3, 11-1 Big East)
Villanova just keeps on rolling. With a schedule full of softies the rest of the regular season, the Wildcats are in prime position to notch their third-straight regular season title. Speaking of pushover opponents, the Wildcats have one later tonight with the Red Storm visiting The Pavilion. Villanova is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in its last four games there.
The Wildcat are coming off a dominant 86-59 thrashing of DePaul on Tuesday. As usual, Josh Hart led the team with 18 points on a silky 6-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Hart averages a team-leading 15.5 PPG and should have his way against the Red Storm’s defense that allows 75.9 PPG. He scored 16 points in the previous showdown with St. John’s.
Daniel Ochefu is worth watching too later tonight, as the Wildcats big man is poised to have a solid outing. Ochefu wasn’t around the last time Villanova met St. John’s due to a concussion that forced him to miss three games. Ochefu, who returned to action against DePaul and scored 11 points and grabbed six boards, paces the team with 8.1 RPG and 1.9 BPG.
Villanova is also looking to keep its three-point touch hot after averaging 10.0 threes in the past three games.
Writer’s Prediction
Villanova wins, 84-57.
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