St. John's vs. Villanova Odds & Betting Predictions - January 18, 2026

Villanova went from a tire fire under Neptune to a team I fully expect to be dancing come March, Willard was the right hire and they just look organized and displined on both ends. But St. John’s has the tempo to shake them up, Zuby is playing like the Big East POY and they have four or five guys who could lead them offensively on a given night. The discovery of Lefteris Liotopolous could be a big game changer for Pitino. With the exception of mop up duty he wasn’t playing in 2025, but since the calendar flipped Slick Rick is letting him stay on the floor and bomb threes. Last four games, he’s 9-for-17 from downtown. Also this is at the old Wells Fargo Center in South Philly, not as many friendly Main Line whistles as when they’re playing on campus and there will be lots of SJU fans on hand.