Villanova vs. St. John's Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Jan. 11

Reed Wallach | Jan 11, 2025

Villanova Wildcats guard Jordan Longino (15), Villanova Wildcats forward Enoch Boakye (13) and Villanova Wildcats forward Eric Dixon (43) celebrate Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, during an NCAA men’s basketball game between the Butler Bulldogs and the Villanova Wildcats at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Villanova will look to build up its Big East resume with a second straight upset win, this time against upstart St. John’s on the road. 

After a thrilling upset win against UConn on Wednesday, the Wildcats will look to improve to 5-1 in Big East play against St. John’s, who is also 4-1 with a lock defense pacing what should be an NCAA Tournament roster. 

With a big point spread, can Villanova continue to outperform expectations and erase a slow start to the season? 

Here’s our full betting preview. 

Villanova vs. St. John’s Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Villanova: +6.5 (-102)
• St. John’s: -6.5 (-118)

Moneyline

• Villanova: +222
• St. John’s: -250

Total: 146.5 (Over -106/Under -114)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Villanova vs. St. John’s How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, January 11th
• Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• How to Watch (TV): CBS Sports Network
• Villanova Record: 11-5
• St. John’s Record: 13-3

Villanova vs. St. John’s Key Players to Watch

Villanova

Eric Dixon: The senior big man has taken his game to another level this season for the Wildcats, averaging nearly 26 points per game while posting insane shooting splits of 51% from the field, 47% from three (on seven attempts per game) and 86% from the free throw line. 

St. John’s

Kadary Richmond: The Seton Hall transfer has seen his role change a bit with a new team, but his defense has remained superb and the point-forward continues to stuff the stat sheet. Richmond is averaging about 11 points per game with five rebounds and four assists while racking up nearly two steals per game. 

Villanova vs. St. John’s Prediction and Pick

This is a clash of styles between St. John’s fast-paced offense and turnover-centric defense against the spaced out attack of Villanova which plays at an incredibly slow tempo. 

The Wildcats have found its footing this season, led by Dixon, as the team is shooting above 41% from beyond the arc. Further, and why I like Villanova in this game, the team is elite at limiting possessions and open court opportunities. 

St. John’s is incredibly reliant on transition opportunities, but Villanova is one of the best transition denial teams in the country and do an excellent job of keeping teams off the glass. 

The Red Storm are reliant on easy buckets in transition and winning the shot volume battle. However, Villanova grades out as a strong rebounding club and also keeps ball handlers out of the paint, forcing teams to shoot from the outside. 

Rick Pitino’s group is a poor three-point shooting outfit, hitting only 30% of its shots from distance this season, and if this game becomes a limited possession affair with more jumpshooting than expected, I’ll take the big underdog to stay close. 

PICK: Villanova +6.5

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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