College Basketball Odds, Pick, Prediction: St. John’s vs. Georgetown (Thursday, February 3)

St. John's vs. Georgetown Odds

Thursday, Feb. 3

6 p.m. ET

FS1

St. John's Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-5 -114	157 -110o / -110u	-225

Georgetown Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+5 -106	157 -110o / -110u	+184

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

It’s been another rough season for Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas, who are amid a nine-game losing streak.

The Hoyas have lost all eight conference matchups this season by an average of 14 points. However, Georgetown has shown some signs of life recently, staying competitive against Villanova, Butler and Seton Hall.

Georgetown will have a chance to avenge its 88-69 loss to St. Johns from two weeks ago. Since that win it’s been all downhill for the Red Storm, who have gone 1-4 straight-up.

St. John’s is coming off an 86-82 loss to Providence in a game it squandered down the stretch.

With two bad defensive teams who love to get up and down the court in a hurry, we could be in store for a high-scoring Big East matchup.

St. John's Can Score, Can't Defend

The Red Storm entered conference play 8-3 but have only won three of their nine Big East matchups. They have had no issue scoring, averaging 80 points per game this season, but they haven’t had terrific shooting numbers overall, hitting 35% from outside (126th) and 50% on 2-point attempts (148th).

St. John’s gets up and down the court in a blur, owning the fourth-fastest tempo in the country. Thirty percent of the team’s field goal attempts come in transition, which among the top-20 teams in the country.

Julian Champagnie is putting up 18 points per game while hitting 35% of his 3-point attempts this season. In the first matchup between the two teams, Champagnie scored 25 points. He’s complimented by Posh Alexander, who is putting up 15 points per game. Alexander exploded against Providence last time out, hitting 13-of-20 from the field for 29 points.

For as good as the Red Storm are offensively, they’re equally as bad on the other end of the floor. They allow opponents to hit 37% from beyond the arc, which ranks 324th in the nation. They are consistently sending opponents to the charity stripe and own the 279th scoring defense, allowing 74 points per game.

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Hoyas Struggle to Score Inside

Georgetown has played an up-tempo style all season and ranks among the top-50 in the country in pace. The offense is highly reliant on its outside shooting and offensive rebounding.

Patrick Ewing’s group hits 37% of its 3-point attempts, which ranks 27th nationally. The Hoyas grab offensive rebounds on 34% of their misses, which will set up nicely against a St. John’s defense that ranks outside the top-320 in defending both those categories.

The main offensive struggle for the Hoyas has been scoring inside the perimeter, a bit surprising for a Ewing-led program. They convert on just 44% of 2-point attempts which ranks 331st nationally.

The root cause of Georgetown’s nine-game losing streak has undoubtedly been its lack of defense. The Hoyas are 248th in defensive efficiency and allow 76 points per game, which is 313th in the country.

Opponents can pretty much get anything they want against the Hoyas, who allow 36% from outside (280th) and 51% inside (235th).

St. John's vs. Georgetown Betting Pick

One thing you can guarantee in every St. John’s game is an up-and-down pace. The Red Storm play with the fourth-fastest tempo in the country, according to KenPom. Georgetown won’t back down from that playing style as it also ranks among the top-50 in pace.

Despite the offensive struggles for Georgetown, this is a solid matchup. The Hoyas should be able to take a boatload of outside shots and have a lot of second-chance looks. In the first matchup, Georgetown had 18 offensive rebounds and took 26 3-pointers.

The issue is they won’t be able to find many stops defensively. Georgetown has allowed five of its seven Big East opponents to exceed the 80-point mark and shoot above 50% from the field. That includes St. John’s, which scored 88 points, show 52% from the field and attempted 29 free throws in the first matchup.

This matchup should follow a similar blueprint as the first game, but I’m reluctant to lay double-digits with St. John’s in its current slump. I’m playing the over, as both offenses should thrive.

Pick: Over 158.5 (Play to 160)