The DePaul Blue Demons take on the St. John's Red Storm in Queens, NY. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Peacock.
St. John's is favored by -18 points on the spread with a moneyline of -4000. The total is set at 153 points.
Here’s my DePaul vs. St. John's predictions and college basketball picks for December 16, 2025.
DePaul vs St. John's Prediction
My Pick: St. John's -18 (Play to -19)
My DePaul vs St. John's best bet is on the Red Storm to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
DePaul vs. St. John's Odds
| DePaul Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+18 -110 | 153 -110 / -110 | +1550 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-18 -110 | 153 -110 / -110 | -4000 |
- DePaul vs St. John's spread: St. John's -18
- DePaul vs St. John's over/under: 153 points
- DePaul vs St. John's moneyline: DePaul +1550, St. John's -4000
DePaul vs St. John's College Basketball Betting Preview
DePaul Basketball
The second year of the Chris Holtmann era has brought more of the same to DePaul: much-needed structural stability and a higher floor.
However, the talent gap remains significant, especially when facing high-major athletes away from home.
The Blue Demons are more organized, more competitive and far less chaotic than many previous versions, yet the ceiling is still defined by limited shot creation and physical disadvantages.
The core trio of CJ Gunn, Layden Blocker and NJ Benson provides a reliable foundation. Gunn and Blocker can initiate offense and keep DePaul functional in the half court, while Benson remains the Demons’ best interior presence on both ends.
Freshman Kruz McClure has also shown signs of being a useful complementary piece, though he is still adjusting to the pace and physicality of high-level college basketball.
Beyond that group, consistency has been elusive. Kaleb Banks and RJ Smith have not quite lived up to their transfer portal reputations, and an injury to Brandon Maclin has further thinned an already shallow rotation.
Against top competition, those limitations have been exposed — a home loss to Northwestern and a 33-point defeat at LSU illustrate how quickly DePaul can fall behind when athleticism and shot-making are overwhelmed.
Still, the Blue Demons are not without positives. They are coming off arguably their best performance of the season, a road win at Wichita State in which they held the Shockers to just 0.92 points per possession. Defensively, effort and execution have improved.
However, this is not an overly physical rebounding team, nor does it possess the shooting upside of last season’s group. DePaul’s 3-point attempt rate has dropped to 172nd nationally, a sharp contrast from last season's top-50 profile.
That has limited the Deacons' variance in outcomes, but when facing off against higher tiers of competition, it lessens the upside – DePaul cannot simply hope to get hot from beyond the arc to bridge the talent gap.
St. John's Basketball
Despite three November losses, St. John’s remains one of the deepest and most physically imposing teams in the country. Rick Pitino continues to experiment with lineups and roles, and the Johnnies are still ramping up to the best version of themselves.
Through nine games, the Johnnies have already used five different starting lineups, underscoring both their versatility and their ongoing search for optimal perimeter balance.
The foundation is clear: an outstanding frontcourt led by Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins, with Ruben Prey providing additional size and athleticism.
That group allows St. John’s to play relentlessly fast, attack the offensive glass and rotate aggressively on defense without sacrificing physicality.
The backcourt, however, remains a work in progress. Ian Jackson is dynamic but often too shot-happy. Dylan Darling is a true lead guard, but he is tiny, struggles to create separation and cannot guard bigger opponents.
Joson Sanon can knock down jumpers but contributes little elsewhere, while Sadiku Ibine Ayo is almost exclusively a defensive piece. Among the guard/wing group, Oziyah Sellers has been the most consistent and reliable option.
Defensively, St. John’s is elite by design: pressure-heavy, disruptive and relentless. But its reliance on turnovers has shown cracks against top-tier opponents.
Alabama, Iowa State, and Auburn all scored 1.2+ points per possession, exposing issues with defensive rebounding and transition coverage when the pressure is broken.
Still, contrary to public perception, this team has not underperformed expectations. They sit 16th in KenPom, exactly where they were to start the season, and they are 5-4 against the spread.
Their lone marquee win — a 15-point handling of Baylor — displayed the ceiling when everything clicks.
DePaul vs. St. John's Betting Analysis
This matchup sets up well for St. John’s as a large favorite, particularly due to the game’s likely up-tempo pace, the Red Storm’s quality depth and the overall physical mismatch.
My most glaring question is whether DePaul can handle the Johnnies’ ball pressure for 40 minutes. For the Blue Demons, this will be their first opposing defense to rank in the top 100 in forced turnover rate, with the Johnnies ranking 28th.
While DePaul ranks a respectable 148th in avoiding miscues, that number has been achieved against a bottom-five strength of schedule. The leap in opponent quality and pressure is massive and will take its toll.
Offensively, DePaul’s path to staying competitive would require extra possessions through offensive rebounding, particularly from the active frontcourt trio of Benson, Fabian Flores and Khaman Maker.
Outside of that group, though, getting on the offensive glass is not a team strength of priority. Outside of the well-built Benson, DePaul lacks consistent physicality on the glass, making it difficult to offset miscues and compete in the shot volume department.
That’s exacerbated by having fewer perimeter marksmen than last season, as well.
St. John’s, meanwhile, has shown a tendency to extend margins late at home against inferior athletes. While DePaul is probably a class above Bucknell, William & Mary and Quinnipiac, the Blue Demons still cannot measure up to the Red Storm.
The hosts’ quality depth allows Pitino to maintain pressure, push tempo and wear teams down – a dangerous formula for a top-heavy DePaul roster.
From a spot perspective, there's some risk of St. John's looking ahead to a neutral site showdown with Kentucky on Saturday. Pitino surely has the clash with his former school and player (Mark Pope) on his mind, and Hopkins began his career there.
But this is a conference game and Pitino is a master motivator, so I do not envision a lazy effort.
More possessions generally favor the better, deeper team, and St. John’s style almost guarantees a high-possession game.
If the Johnnies generate turnovers and convert them into transition points, this matchup has blowout potential.
The number is high, but with the pace, I am willing to lay up to 19.
My Pick: St. John's -18 (Play to -19)
