St. John's vs. Duke Prediction, Odds, Best Prop Bet for NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

The Duke Blue Devils almost became the third ever No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, but they survived and parlayed that into a dominant win against TCU in the Round of 32.

They now advance to the Sweet 16 to take on the St. John's Red Storm. The champions of the Big East are looking to make their first Final Four since 1985.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bet for this Big East vs. ACC showdown in the Sweet 16.

St. John's vs. Duke Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread

St. John's +7.5 (-110)
Duke -7.5 (-110)

Moneyline

St. John's +275
Duke -350

Total

OVER 148.5 (-105)
UNDER 148.5 (-115)

St. John's vs. Duke How to Watch

Date: Friday, March 27
Game Time: 7:10 pm ET
Venue: Capital One Arena
How to Watch (TV): CBS
St. John's Record: 30-6
Duke Record: 34-2

St. John's vs. Duke Betting Trends

St. John's is 5-1 ATS in its last six games
The UNDER is 11-1 in St. John's last 12 games
St. John's is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games vs. Duke
The UNDER is 12-5 in Duke's 17 games
Duke is 2-4 ATS in its last six games

St. John's vs. Duke Best Prop Bet

Zuby Ejiofor UNDER 15.5 Points (-105) via BetMGM

St. John's offense is going to have its work cut out itself on Friday night. The Red Storm already boast an effective field goal percentage outside of the top 150, and now they have to take on a Duke team that leads the nation in defensive efficiency. I think that's going to lead to their best player, Zuby Ejiofor, to have a tough outing when it comes to scoring.

St. John's vs. Duke Prediction and Pick

St. John's has an elite front court, and the Red Storm are one of the best defenses in the country, but their sub-par shooting has come back to haunt them at times, and almost cost them in the Round of 32 against Kansas. St. John's ranks just 197th in effective field goal percentage, far below Duke, which comes in at 13th in that metric.

The Blue Devils are able to not only match St. John's defensively but even surpass them. Duke enters the Sweet 16 leading the entire country in defensive efficiency.

The one argument against Duke is that it's clear the Blue Devils haven't peaked at the right time. Despite winning the ACC Tournament, they weren't winning games in impressive fashion, and almost losing to Siena in the opening round further cemented people's doubts about whether or not the Blue Devils have it in them to make a Final Four run. With that being said, they've had a few days off and can regroup, hoping to come out firing.

St. John's can overpower teams that can't match them defensively, which makes a team like Duke a nightmare matchup for them. I'll lay the points with the Blue Devils.

Pick: Duke -6.5 (-110) via BetMGM

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