Thursday Night College Basketball Betting: St. John’s-Marquette, Texas-Kansas
Stephen Spillman-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Kansas Jayhawks forward Dedric Lawson (1), Texas Longhorns forward Jaxson Hayes (10) and guard Kerwin Roach II (12).
You thought we’d only cover today’s daytime hoops? Don’t fret, there’s more to come.
Let’s dive into the Big East and Big 12 tournaments, respectively. No. 7 seed St. John’s squares off against No. 2 Marquette, which it already beat twice in the regular season, before No. 6 Texas takes on No. 3 Kansas. Those squads split their two previous matchups.
Where’s the value in these two games? Let’s break them down.
Betting Odds: St. John’s Red Storm vs. Marquette Golden Eagles
- Spread: St. John’s +4
- Over/Under: 149
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: Fox Sports 1
>> All odds as of noon ET. Download The Action Network App to get real-time CBB odds and live win probabilities on your bets.
The Golden Eagles (18-12-1 against the spread) have lost four straight games — both outright and ATS. Meanwhile, the Red Storm (13-17-2 ATS) snapped their three-game skid with a victory over DePaul in the opening round of the Big East Tournament, and covered -5.
It’s difficult to cover three consecutive matchups vs. the same program, but Chris Mullin’s bunch possesses the defense needed to pull it off.
Marquette owns the highest 3-point clip (39.8%) and third-highest scoring rate from behind the arc (37.0%), respectively, in Big East play. Much of Steve Wojciechowski’s offense relies on 3-point demon Markus Howard, yet he’s shot a combined 7-of-32 (17.9%) in his two contests vs. St. John’s this season.
It’s credit to Red Storm guard Shamorie Ponds and Justin Simon’s undervalued on-ball tenacity. Expect their second-ranked 3-point defense (34.1%) to give Howard and Co. issues once again, especially in what’s essentially a home game for them at Madison Square Garden.
The Golden Eagles have also generated the fourth-highest turnover rate (19.0%) in their league slate — a product of their loose ball-handling — and St. John’s has amassed the second-highest percentage (19.9%) in that area. That should give Ponds and his teammates an opportunity to the control the pace via their 48th-ranked Adjusted Tempo (70.8 possessions per 40 minutes).
THE PICK: St. John’s +4
Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas Jayhawks
- Spread: Kansas -3
- Over/Under: 137
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN2