St. John's vs Villanova Prediction, Odds & Picks for Dec. 21 (Defenses Take Center Stage in Big East Battle)

St. John's vs Villanova Game Info

2022-23 NCAA College Basketball Regular Season Game
St. John's Red Storm (11-1, 1-0 Big East) vs. Villanova Wildcats (6-5, 0-0 Big East)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Finneran Pavilion — Villanova, PA
Coverage: FS1

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Wednesday with a Big East matchup between the St. John's Red Storm and Villanova Wildcats. St. John's is coming off a 93-79 win over Florida State on Saturday. Senior Joel Soriano led the way with a double-double (23 points & 12 rebounds).

Meanwhile, Villanova extended its winning streak to four games with a 71-64 win over Saint Joseph's on Saturday. Junior Eric Dixon posted a double-double of his own (16 points & 12 rebounds). The Wildcats shined on defense, out-rebounding the Hawks by 12 and allowing a 38.7% shooting mark.

St. John's vs Villanova Odds & Spread

All NCAA college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets.
Moneyline: SJU: (+172) | NOVA: (-210)
Spread: SJU: +4.5 (-104) | NOVA: -4.5 (-118)
Total: 146.5 —Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Villanova enters this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 6:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 146.5 points, which is about average compared to Wednesday's projected totals.

College Basketball Picks St. John's vs Villanova

It's not often that a storied Big East team starts 11-1 and is not ranked in the AP top 25. There's still some question marks about the Red Storm, though, considering their best win is against a subpar Syracuse team. Keep in mind St. John's only loss on the year came in its only true road game.

Of course, Villanova is the home team in this one. The Wildcats have bounced back from some early season losses by winning each of their last four games by an average of 10.8 points. They rank 40th in offensive efficiency and tied for second in turnovers per game (9.1), which shows their potential.

Villanova is riding a 10-game home winning streak and I don't see that ending on Wednesday night.

Final Score Prediction: St. John's: 68 | Villanova: 72

St. John's vs Villanova Betting Trends

- St. John's is 2-4 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games.
- The total has hit the under in five of St. John's last six games in December.
- Villanova is 9-1 straight up in its last 10 home games against St. John's.
- The total has hit the over in six of Villanova's last eight games.

St. John's vs Villanova Picks

What's been impressive about Villanova's turnaround is its defensive improvements. The Wildcats have allowed an average of just 61.3 points over their last four games. Combine that with the fact that St. John's ranks 40th in defensive efficiency this season and backing the under seems like a safe bet.

The total has hit the the under in four of St. John's last five games against a Big East opponent as well as in seven of Villanova's last 10 games in December. The under has also cashed in eight of the last nine games between the Red Storm and Wildcats. Defense is going to be the difference-maker here.

Bet: Under 146.5 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.