St. John's vs Villanova: College Basketball Prediction & Preview

St. John's vs Villanova How To Watch

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Game Time: 6:00 pm ET
How To Watch: FS1
Venue: Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, PA
Teams: Villanova (14-10), St. John's (21-3)
Fiu Bluesky | CFN Bluesky | CFN X | CFN FB

Why St. John's Will Win

Wow does this team get after it on the boards.

It doesn’t do a ton from the outside, but it plays a suffocating brand of defense, force plenty of steals, and it just doesn’t let anyone else have any fun on the glass.

The Red Storm has come up with ten or more offensive rebounds - 18 in the win over Marquette - a ridiculous 16 times this season.

In the first meeting inside scoring presence was there, but 37-25 on the boards helped overcome a rough day at stopping the Wildcat threes.

This team overcomes issues by playing tougher. But …

Why Villanova Will Win

Wow does St. John’s not do anything from three.

It’ll take them, but it just doesn’t make them hitting fewer than 20% in three of the last five games. At some point the inconsistencies on the outside will matter, and in this, the differences on the free-throw line could be a massive deal.

Villanova has missed a total of one free throw over the last three games. To pull this off it has to get hot from three, attack the attackers, and make this a free throw contest late.

In the first meeting the Wildcats hit ten threes - that’s not enough. They’re 6-1 when making 11 or more, but …

St. John's vs Villanova Who Will Win?

St. John’s has only allowed two teams to make 11 or more threes, but that’s not the issue. Again, it’ll be on the boards.

Zero. That’s how many offensive rebounds Villanova got against Marquette ten days ago. It won’t be that bad against St. John’s, but it’ll be outrebounded again.

The Red Storm wins on the road by clamping down harder defensively. It’ll be a gut-check game down the stretch. To beat this team you have to hit all your threes, all your free throws, and win that free throw battle.

Two out of three for Villanova won’t be enough.

St. John's vs Villanova Prediction, Betting Lines

Prediction: St. John’s 71, Villanova 68
BetMGM Line: St. John’s -3.5, o/u: 139.5
Caesars Line: St. John’s -3.5, o/u: 139.5
FanDuel Line: St. John’s -3.5, o/u: 139.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.