Villanova vs. St. John’s Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Saturday, Feb. 28

The St. John's Red Storm played their worst game of the season this week, losing 72-40 to the UConn Huskies to lose their top spot in the conference. The good news is, the race for the regular-season title isn't over quite yet, but St. John's will likely need to win out to have a chance.

That starts on Saturday with an intriguing matchup against third-place Villanova, a team that can still steal the No. 2 spot in the conference from the Red Storm.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bet for this pivotal Big East showdown.

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

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Villanova +7.5 (-120)
St. John's -7.5 (-102)

Moneyline

Villanova +255
St. John's -320

Total

OVER 145.5 (-110)
UNDER 145.5 (-110)

Villanova vs. St. John's How to Watch

Date: Saturday, February 28
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden
How to Watch (TV): FOX
Villanova Record: 22-6 (13-4 in Big East)
St. John's Record: 22-6 (15-2 in Big East)

Villanova vs. St. John's Betting Trends

Villanova is 1-4 ATS in its last five games
The OVER is 5-1 in Villanova's last six games
The UNDER is 4-1 in St. John's last five games
St. John's is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games as the favorite

Villanova vs. St. John's Key Player to Watch

Bryce Lindsay, G - Villanova Wildcats

Villanova's best chance of upsetting St. John's is to get the three-ball going, which is why Bryce Lindsay is going to be their most important player in this game. He leads the Wildcats in three-point attempts with 186, hitting them at a rate of 35.5%. If he can get hot from three, Villanova is going to bring this game down to the wire.

Villanova vs. St. John's Prediction and Pick

Instead of betting on either team to cover, I'm going to sit back and root for the OVER in this game.

Both offenses do what the opposing defenses don't defend well. Villanova is a three-point shooting team, and St. John's ranks 90th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 32.4% from beyond the arc. St. John's is a two-point shooting team, and Villanova ranks 170th in opponent two-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 51.5% from two-point range.

St. John's ranks 64th in the country in adjusted tempo, so I'm hoping they can push the pace in this game, helping the total go OVER.

Pick: OVER 145.5 (-110) via FanDuel

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!