Stony Brook vs St. John’s Odds, Pick | Johnnies to Start Slow

It's time to officially welcome Rick Pitino back to high-major basketball. The legendary head coach took a job at St. John's after spending the past three years at Iona and the previous three coaching in Greece. The sport's biggest villain is back in the national spotlight, beginning against Stony Brook on Tuesday.

So, dive in below for Stony Brook vs St. John's odds and a pick, including a college basketball betting guide for Tuesday.

The Pitino era started in inauspicious fashion, as Pace University (D-II) knocked off the Johnnies in an exhibition. Now, context is needed. Daniss Jenkins and Joel Soriano, two players who will start in this contest, missed the game.

However, a Big East team should beat Pace University unless only five walk-ons are playing.

Additionally, outside of Soriano, St. John's brought in an entirely new roster. It's a talented roster, one filled with a slew of dazzling scorers who can take over in any contest.

Look out for Jenkins, Glenn Taylor Jr. (Oregon State), Jordan Dingle (Penn) and Chris Ledlum (Harvard) to play significant roles from the jump.

The pair of Ivy League transfers — Dingle and Ledlum — greatly improve the offense, but will need to improve on defense to maximize their full value. Dingle is the type of player who can catch fire and score 30 points in any game, while Ledlum's ball-handling and strength make him a mismatch problem.

Moreover, Ledlum, Dingle and Soriano led their respective teams in scoring this past season, so can those three co-exist and make each other better? It may take time.

Think of Texas of two years ago. It brought in a ton of leading scorers from losing schools, but it managed to piece it together during the conference slate. Maybe St. John's formula is similar.

The one transfer addition that's fallen under the radar is Nahiem Alleyne, who won the title at UConn last season. He played a small role behind Joey Calcaterra, but the injury to UMass transfer RJ Luis has opened the door for Alleyne to step in and provide a shooting jolt for the Johnnies.

Alleyne is the one player on the roster who's won in college basketball. That will matter early on this season, as this cast of characters looks to familiarize itself with winning.

Pitino also indicated it may take time for St. John's to round into form due to a brand new roster that has yet to play together much.

Is that a classic case of negative coach speak? Or is Pitino telling the truth?

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Onto Stony Brook, it won just 11 games during its inaugural season in the CAA, finishing last in the league.

Gone is versatile forward Frankie Policelli, but guards Tyler Stephenson-Moore and Aaron Clarke will form an exciting backcourt tandem. Those two have the scoring chops to keep Stony Brook competitive.

The Seawolves also brought in Cornell transfer Dean Noll to strengthen its scoring punch. An Ivy League grad, Noll averaged 10 points two seasons ago before missing last season with an injury.

The depth is fairly strong for Stony Brook, and that wasn't a reality last season.

Typically, low-major teams need more size to compete with elite bigs like Soriano, but that's not the case for Geno Ford.

Keenan Fitzmorris and Chris Maidoh will play crucial roles for the Seawolves. Fitzmorris, standing at 7-foot, is their primary frontcourt offensive weapon, while Maidoh's defensive prowess is one of the best in the CAA. If one gets in foul trouble, the other is more than capable of filling in admirably.

Lastly, Stony Brook is much better this season. Don't let what occurred in 2022-23 jade you from what's possible in 2023-24.

St. John's surely has the built-in fan advantage at Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm faithful have waited patiently for something positive to cheer about over the past few seasons, and now there's finally a reason. 

However, between the new-look roster and defensive questions, it's tough to back the big number with St. John's. The unknowns greatly outmatch the knowns. 

From Stony Brook's strong guard trio to its solid depth, it's reasonable to expect the Seawolves to keep the game to around 15 points and cover the big number. 

Pick: Stony Brook +16.5

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