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St. John’s Red Storm at Xavier Musketeers Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Xavier Eyes 13th Home Win

The showdown between Xavier and visiting St. John’s could come down to tempo on Wednesday. The Red Storm average nearly 10 more field-goal attempts per game than Xavier.

Xavier is 12-3 at home. All three home losses have come in conference play and by a combined total of 11 points. St. John’s is just 3-6 on the road.

St. John’s Red Storm at Xavier Musketeers Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions
DYLAN BUELL / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Xavier (+2000) is tied for second odds among Big East teams while St. John’s comes in at +8000 in the odds to reach the Final Four according to the March Madness odds.

St. John’s at Xavier Game Information

  • Game: St. John’s (13-11) at Xavier (17-7)
  • Location: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Day/Time: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Television: CBS Sports Network

St. John’s Could Be Shorthanded

When Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander are on the court together, they form the top-scoring tandem in the Big East.

However, Alexander is nursing an ankle injury and he is questionable for Wednesday’s game. Alexander, who is averaging 14.6 points and a team-high 5.2 assists, has already missed three games. He didn’t play in a 63-60 loss to UConn or in a 75-69 defeat to Villanova.

The perception of this Red Storm team would be much different if St. John’s was coming off back-to-back wins over Villanova and UConn, two of the top teams in the conference. That was a realistic possibility if the sophomore guard was out there.

Now comes another tough test. Xavier just dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but it is capable of beating anybody in the Big East, especially at home.

It is probably not a coincidence that Champagnie, the team’s leading scorer, is shooting 33 percent in the last three games with Alexander missing two. It hasn’t helped that freshman guard Rafael Pinzon is currently sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols and has played in just eight games this season.

St. John’s has covered against the college basketball spread in five of its last six games on the road.

Plenty of Drama, Fantastic Finishes for Xavier

This much is known about the Xavier basketball team: The Musketeers certainly have experience in tight games.

Eight of Xavier’s last 10 games have been decided by less than 10 points. The other two contests weren’t exactly blowouts as the Musketeers lost by 11 and 10 points, and led in the second half in both of those contests.

The Musketeers are 4-4 in their last eight games decided by less than 10 points and are just 2-6 against the spread in those contests. Instead of being 7-6 in conference play, Xavier could easily be nipping at the heels of Big East heavyweights Providence and Villanova.

One issue for Xavier has been free-throw shooting, as it is eighth in the Big East in that category at 71.2 percent. The Musketeers missed six free throws in a two-point loss to Seton Hall and five in a four-point loss at home to a DePaul team that was playing without Big East scoring leader Javon Freeman-Liberty.

Xavier has covered against the Las Vegas odds in just three of its last 10 games.

St. John’s at Xavier Head-to-Head

Xavier had won 12 games in a row against St. John’s before the Red Storm won 93-84 as 2½-point favorites at home in the last meeting on Feb. 16, 2021.

The Red Storm were 0-6-1 against the spread in the previous seven matchups before finally covering.

Xavier is 6-0 at home in the series but is just 3-2-1 against the spread in those matchups. St. John’s last won at Xavier in 2015.

Four of the last six games between the teams went over the total.

St. John’s at Xavier Prediction

One of the main questions coming into the game is about the health of Xavier. Adam Kunkel, one of six Musketeers averaging at least 20 minutes per game, has returned to practice after missing the UConn game. However, fourth-leading scorer Nate Johnson went down in the UConn contest and hasn’t been practicing. He is considered to be a game-time decision.

With injury concerns about Alexander as well, this is an all-or-nothing sort of game for those who bet online.

Three of Xavier’s last four games have gone over the total while St. John’s is the highest-scoring team in the Big East, so that is a reason why the total is on the high side at 149.

St. John’s leads the Big East in steals and in turnover margin so if the Red Storm can get the game going at its pace, an upset is possible.

Pick: St. John’s Red Storm +8

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