NCAAB Betting Guide for Creighton vs St. John’s

Creighton vs. St. John's Odds

Saturday, Feb. 18

7:30 p.m. ET

FS1

Creighton Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-6.5 -110	152 -110o / -110u	-275

St. John's Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+6.5 -110	152 -110o / -110u	+230

Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute college basketball odds here.

Creighton has been on fire, but saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday. Creighton entered the season as the favorite in the Big East and at 11-4 in conference, finds itself tied for second place and 1.5 games back of Marquette.

Creighton will host the Golden Eagles on Tuesday night, but first it must head to New York to battle St. John's.

The Red Storm bounced back from a three-game losing streak to win its past two games, including an upset of No. 20 Providence.

St. John's will  be looking to pull off another Top 20 upset against Creighton. However, the Blue Jays won the first meeting 104-76 in Omaha.

Creighton Bluejays

Many say basketball is a game of runs. For Creighton, it has been a season of runs. The Blue Jays started 6-0, lost six straight and have won 11 of 14 since. The prolonged losing streak was partially tied to center Ryan Kalkbrenner's absence as he missed three of the six games. The Bluejays are 17-6 with him in the lineup.

Kalkbrenner is averaging 15 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 70% from the field (second nationally) and is tied for 13th in blocks. He is one of five Bluejays averaging double-digit points.

South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman leads Creighton with 8.2 rebounds per game, 10 double-doubles and 65 3s. He is shooting 37.8% from 3 while Trey Alexander leads the team shooting 42.6% from deep. Creighton shoots 35% from 3 as a team.

Forward Arthur Kaluma provides two-way versatility and point guard Ryan Nembhard is a steady decision maker, ranking third in the Big East with five assists per game.

Creighton averages 76.3 points per game, but nearly 90% of those come from the starters. Head coach Greg McDermott has gone with a six-man rotation this season and Creighton is 27th in adjusted offensive efficiency.

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St. John's Red Storm

A couple of things are generally a given with Mike Anderson coached teams. His teams play fast and press their opponents into turnovers. St. John's ranks third in adjusted tempo this season. It also forces 14.8 turnovers per game, 8.4 of which come via steals.

Five different St. John's players average over one steal per game. Guard Posh Alexander leads the Big East with two steals per game and Andre Curbelo is fourth with 1.9 per game.

St. John's runs its offense through forward Joel Soriano, who is averaging 15.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He also leads the country with 21 double-doubles this season. In fact, he has had a double-double against every Big East opponent this season besides Creighton, so he may have a little extra motivation Saturday.

St. John's is fifth nationally in 2-point field goals per game. It averages 77 points per game, but ranks just 120th in adjusted offensive efficiency. St. John's does not shoot well from 3 (33%) or at the foul line (68.3%).

St. John's gives up 74.4 points per game and ranks eighth in the Big East in points allowed. It is 10th in the conference in 3-pointers allowed. The Red Storm are 69th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Creighton vs. St. John's Betting Pick

Creighton and St. John's have typically played high-scoring games over the past few years. In the past seven meetings, the total has ranged from 148 to 157 points. Six of those games went over the total and the one under hit by just one point.

With St. John's pace, this will be a high-possession game that provides ample opportunities for both offenses. In the first meeting, each team attempted 67 field goals and shot over 46%. That game soared over the total of 154.5 and featured 180 points. Even accounting for shooting regression, there are 30 points to play with. The teams combine to score an average of 153.3 points.

Additionally, the spread gives an indicator to the total going over. In its past six victories over St. John's, Creighton has scored at least 81 points. Creighton is a 7.5-point favorite. Should Creighton win and score 81 points, St. John's would need just 69 points, which is well below its season average and a number it has reached in 21 of 26 games this season.

Pick: Over 149.5

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