Will St. John’s cash again here, or will the emotions of senior night help the Irish cover as faves? Find out where we believe the best value lies for our NCAA Basketball picks in this matchup.
The St. John’s Red Storm have notched an 8-4 spread
record in their last 12 games, including a 4-2 ATS mark in the span’s six road
affairs. Tuesday’s slate has Steve Lavin’s squad visiting the No. 24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who play
their final home game.
Check out my NCAA Basketball Picks: Marquette vs. Rutgers for another free play.
Irish, Grant shut down on the road
Notre Dame logged its second loss in four games with
Saturday’s 72-64 setback to the Marquette Golden Eagles, falling short as an
eight-point road dog. The Fighting Irish
were held to 38.3 percent field shooting, while edging out Marquette in
rebounds, 30-22.
Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant notched a team-high 21
points, while adding seven boards and five assists. Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton and Jack Cooley
were both held scoreless, shooting a combined 0-for-5 from the floor.
The battle’s 136 points jumped above the ‘total’ of 127,
ending a 3-0 run for the UNDER in Notre Dame’s prior trio of matchups. Irish mates Eric Atkins and Zach Auguste
notched three steals each, while forward Tom Knight came away with his squad’s
sole two blocks.
Red Storm outdueled in Providence
St. John’s came away with its latest cashed ticket in
Saturday’s 62-59 defeat as a 6 ½-point road dog against the Providence
Friars. Both squads shot below 38
percent from the field, with the Red Storm held to a 1-for-11 night from three-point
land.
Red Storm freshman Jakarr Sampson equaled his season-high
of 22 points, while uniting with Chris Obekpa for two blocks each. The duo’s mate Sir’Dominic Pointer notched
his second double-double in three games, finishing with 13 points and 10
boards.
The tight affair’s combined 121 points dipped beneath the
‘total’ of 132, moving the UNDER to a 3-1 mark in the St. John’s last four
games. Sampson and Co. hit 8-of-14 free
throws, while being outrebounded, 41-33.
Back St. John’s on the road
The NCAA Basketball odds first opened Notre Dame as an 8 ½-point home
favorite, while first listing the ‘total’ at 126. Early NCAAB betting on the Fighting Irish and
the OVER drove both numbers north to nine and 126 ½, respectively.
For my NCAA Basketball picks I am taking the points here with St. John’s, looking for
the another close contest between these Big East Conference foes. The last two meetings between these rivals
were decided by four points or less, with the Red Storm cashing at 2-0 ATS as
underdogs.
Obekpa has led the Big East in blocks (4 BPG), coming
away with a pair of them in January’s 67-63 victory for St. John’s over the
Irish in Madison Square Garden. The duel
saw both squads held to a combined 4-for-26 mark from three-point land, while
Red Storm mates Jakarr Sampson and Phil Green united for 30 points.
Notre Dame is 2-5 ATS in its last seven home dates, with
the Irish putting up just 60.2 PPG in their last five contests in South Bend
that did not reach overtime. The revenge
factor and the emotions of senior night have fueled the premium to be too high
again here for Cooley and Co, while the underdog has collected with a 7-3
spread record in the last 10 clashes between these foes.
NCAA Basketball Pick: St.
John’s Red Storm +9 (Bookmaker.eu)
For another take on this matchup check out our NCAA Basketball Picks of the Day.