St. John’s vs. Omaha: 2025 NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 17, 2025

The 2025 NCAA Tournament is officially here! The March Madness Bracket is set, and first-round NCAA Tournament matchups are in place. It’s time to make your picks and predictions for the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament! We’re here to help as we’ll have picks and predictions for each of the first-round 2025 NCAA Tournament games. Here are our top picks and predictions for St. John’s vs. Omaha.

2025 NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks: St. John’s vs. Omaha

Let’s dive into our top picks and predictions for this opening-round NCAA Tournament matchup.

2025 NCAA Tournament Preview: St. John’s vs. Omaha

St. John’s 2025 NCAA Tournament Preview

It took Rick Pitino a few years to get St. John's to where he wants to be, but this is one of the deadliest teams in the tournament, with a relatively small amount of hype. St. John’s four losses this season were by a combined seven points. Seven! There's a world where St. John's is undefeated and the unquestioned tournament favorite.

The Red Storm have gotten to this point with their defense. And it is impressive to watch. They have a top-30 opponent field goal attempt rate, which means they average 13 more shot attempts per 100 possession than their opponents. Luck is on their side simply because they get to see an incredible number of shots go up compared to their opponents. They force turnovers, close out like nobody’s business, and don't foul.

Offensively, it's a little concerning seeing St. John’s 30% perimeter shooting percentage, but that hasn't seemed to cause any problems yet this year. That's due to a top-10 offensive rebounding percentage and the second-best conversion percentage based on those boards. St. John’s capitalizes in transition off turnovers and gets dominating play from Big East Player of the Year R.J. Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor — the most improved Big East player.

This is a squad that hasn't faced many elite opponents. St. John’s hasn’t faced a top-10 opponent all season and went 6-3 against top-40 KenPom opponents. Whether this team can step up in class is the biggest question that looms as the Johnnies start tournament play. With Pitino at the helm, it's easy to say yes. Kadary Richmond is a capable big guard, and if they can overcome any late-game free throw woes, this will be a dangerous team with as high a ceiling as anyone.

Omaha 2025 NCAA Tournament Preview

After starting the year 4-8, Omaha turned things around, finishing the year 18-4 and dominating the Summit League tournament with their high-powered top-100 offense. JJ White (43%), Tony Osburn (40%), and Kamryn Thomas (39%) are all sharpshooters that help leading scorer Marquel Sutton, who is a force in the paint.

Chris Crutchfield has set up a system that relies on transition scoring and perimeter shooting. They do an effective job taking buckets elsewhere, though, when teams offer it, but the biggest limiting factor will be defense. Ranking outside the top 250 in defensive efficiency, Omaha will need some luck to bounce their way in order to pull off an upset.

They are a top-25 squad at limiting second-chance opportunities, but otherwise, it’s all red in the rankings. Omaha’s path to the championship is score at an elite clip and hope. Crutchfield has done an elite job getting his team here, but it’s hard to see this team put together a run in the tournament.

2025 NCAA Tournament Predictions: St. John’s vs. Omaha

After winning the Big East, there's no doubt that Rick Pitino is one of the best coaches in college basketball history. In just Year 2, Pitino rallied St. John's to a Big East title for the first time since 2000. Even more surprising, St. John's is ranked No. 1 in the nation in defensive adjusted efficiency per KenPom.

The Johnnies have limited teams to a 46.6% effective field goal percentage and have allowed opponents to shoot below 46% from inside the arc. They'll take an Omaha team that is usually above average from the field.

However, Omaha has added just 29.2% of offensive rebounds. It's much more likely that Omaha shoots below average against St. John's. Now, add on the fact that Omaha likely won't dominate the glass, and it doesn't look very appealing for Omaha.

Plus, Omaha's defense ranks 252nd in the nation, according to KenPom. A somewhat inconsistent St. John's should still be able to find consistent offense. I'm on St. John's at -18.5 (-102).

2025 NCAA Tournament Picks: St. John’s vs. Omaha

Bet: St. John’s -18.5 (-102)

Check out all of our 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket & Betting Coverage >>

2025 NCAA Tournament Sports Betting Picks

For those looking to place bets on the matchups, let's take a look at the early odds and picks for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

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