The Villanova Wildcats (9-10, 3-5 Big East) take on the St. John’s Red Storm (13-6, 3-5) at Madison Square Garden Friday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Villanova vs. St. John’s odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Villanova and St. John’s have struggled since entering conference play, both boasting 3-5 records in Big East action. Villanova also has a losing record overall in its 1st season without coach Jay Wright at the helm since 2000.
The Red Storm have the advantage of a home game Friday. They are 9-2 at MSG, although it is not technically on campus. The Wildcats are 2-5 on the road and this will be another difficult test against a high-scoring team in St. John’s. The Storm are 36th nationally with 79.3 points per game, but they have struggled on the defensive side of things. St. John’s has allowed 72.4 points per game (254th). The key in this one will be if Villanova, at 71.4 points per game (180th), can take advantage and put points on the board.
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