St. John’s (22-4) at DePaul (11-15)
- When: Feb 19 2025, 9:00 PM
- Where: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL, USA
- Where to watch: Fox Sports 1
Game Preview
Spread: St. John’s -13.0
Total: 144.0
St. John’s sits atop the Big East standings, but with a tough stretch ahead, the Red Storm can’t afford to slip up. Riding an 11-1 run in their last 12 games, they’ll look to maintain control of the conference when they visit struggling DePaul on Wednesday. The Blue Demons have lost three straight and remain last in the Big East, making this a prime opportunity for St. John’s to continue its dominance.
St. John’s Red Storm – Betting Breakdown
Record: 22-4 (13-2 Big East)
ATS: 15-10-1
O/U: 12-14
Key Trends:
4-1 in last five games despite shooting below 40% in three of them
Dominated DePaul 89-61 earlier this season
Three of their final five regular-season games are on the road
St. John’s is finding ways to win, even when their offense isn’t clicking. They shot a season-best 55.2% from the field against DePaul in their last meeting but have since cooled off offensively. Despite struggling with efficiency in recent games, their defensive effort and rebounding have been key in keeping them on top of the Big East.
Coming off a 79-73 win over No. 24 Creighton, the Red Storm have momentum and motivation to avoid a letdown against a DePaul squad they dismantled in December. With tough matchups against Marquette and UConn ahead, St. John’s needs to take care of business here and avoid playing down to their competition.
Betting Insight: St. John’s covered the spread easily in the first meeting against DePaul and has been solid against weaker teams. With a defense capable of suffocating opponents, they should have no problem controlling this game and covering the spread.
DePaul Blue Demons – Betting Breakdown
Record: 11-15 (2-13 Big East)
ATS: 9-16-1
O/U: 14-12
Key Trends:
Lost six of last seven games
Three consecutive losses by a combined 37 points
4-10 ATS at home
DePaul continues to struggle on both ends of the floor, making this an uphill battle against a locked-in St. John’s squad. The Blue Demons shot just 39.2% from the field and made only 6-of-20 threes in their last meeting with the Red Storm. Unless they find an answer offensively, another lopsided loss could be coming.
Head coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged that missed opportunities have been a major issue, but the team’s inability to string together defensive stops has been their biggest downfall. They allowed Xavier to shoot nearly 50% from the field in their latest loss, and stopping a physical St. John’s team won’t be any easier.
To make matters worse, forward NJ Benson remains questionable with a hand injury. If he’s unable to suit up, DePaul will have even more difficulty containing St. John’s inside presence.
Betting Insight: DePaul has been one of the worst teams against the spread at home, failing to cover in 10 of their last 14 games in Chicago. Their defensive struggles and inconsistent shooting make them an unreliable pick, especially against a battle-tested St. John’s squad.
Betting Predictions
Against the Spread: St. John’s -13.0 – The Red Storm have already dominated DePaul once and should do so again. Their defense and rebounding edge should keep them in control from start to finish.
Over/Under: Under 144.0 – St. John’s has struggled with offensive consistency, and DePaul’s scoring woes make this a tough matchup for a high-scoring affair.
Final Score Prediction: St. John’s 80, DePaul 60 – Expect a repeat performance from the first meeting, with the Red Storm overpowering the Blue Demons defensively and cruising to an easy win.
- NCAAB Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
