College Basketball Picks & Predictions: Creighton vs. St. John’s (Sunday)
Welcome back to another Sunday of college basketball picks and predictions. We have a smaller slate of games than normal today, but there are still some marquee matchups on tap with plenty of ways to go for college basketball bets. Before the action tips off, let’s lock in three CBB picks on this Sunday.
We'll start with the best game of the day as St. John’s hosts Creighton in Big East battle. Plus, we have picks for Michigan vs. Ohio State in the Big Ten and Florida Atlantic vs. Temple in the AAC. Note that all betting lines are accurate as of this writing, but shop around for the best odds. Enjoy these college basketball picks and predictions for Sunday, February 16’s game Creighton vs. St. John's.
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Sunday's Best College Basketball Bets: Creighton vs. St. John's
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Creighton vs. St. John's
Sunday's matchup between Creighton and St. John's is massive for the Big East title race. St. John's has just a one-game lead over Creighton in the league's regular season standings heading into this showdown. Instead of picking a side against the spread, let's focus on the total in what should be a lower-scoring affair.
First, Creighton and St. John's are both coming off losses following lengthy winning streaks. The Bluejays lost at home to UConn on Tuesday to break their 9-game win streak. On Wednesday, the Red Storm fell on the road at Villanova to snap a 10-gamer. Both teams should be even more dialed in defensively to get back in the win column.
St. John's is an elite defensive team, ranking second in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Red Storm are also first in the Big East in effective field goal percentage against, defensive turnover rate, and opposing free-throw percentage. They rank ninth and 19th in Division I in defensive block and steal rates, respectively, as well.
The St. John's top-tier defense should set the tone and keep Creighton in check. The Bluejays rank 244th nationally in offensive turnover rate, 314th in offensive rebounding, 344th in offensive steal rate, and 241st in offensive block rate. Those are some worrisome numbers when taking on this mighty St. John's defense.
The Bluejays rely on their uber-efficient interior scoring, led by Ryan Kalkbrenner. Well, St. John's is excellent at limiting points inside as well. It boasts the best two-point defense in the Big East and eighth-best nationally. Plus, the Red Storm are allowing only 64.3 PPG at home in conference play with less than 70 against in six of seven games.
Meanwhile, St. John's has two glaring weaknesses on offense. The Red Storm struggle to shoot from three-point range and the free-throw line. They rank 351st and 286th among all Division I teams in three-point and free-throw percentages, respectively, this season. During conference play, St. John's is shooting a paltry 24.3% from three (last in Big East).
Creighton has a top-30 defense itself and can do its part to slow down St. John's despite being on the road. The Bluejays are holding opponents to 30.5% from three-point range this season (32nd in country). The Red Storm offense is also weakened without Deivon Smith, one of the team's lead ball-handlers and distributors who's sidelined for an extended period.
When these teams met back in December, Creighton squeaked out the home victory by a final score of 57-56. That game easily went under and this one should as well. St. John's is 5-2 to the Under at home in conference play this year and 6-2 to the Under over the past eight games overall. Creighton is also 6-2 to the Under in its last eight and 5-3 to the Under on the road.
Pick: Under 143.5 Total Points (-110)