The St. John's Red Storm take on the Georgetown Hoyas in Washington, DC. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
St. John's is favored by 8.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -450. The total is set at 153.5 points.
Here’s my St. John's vs. Georgetown prediction and college basketball picks for December 31, 2025.
St. John's vs Georgetown Prediction
My Pick: St. John's -8.5 (Play to -10.5)
My St. John's vs Georgetown 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.
St. John's vs. Georgetown Odds
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 153.5 -115 / -105 | -450 |
| Georgetown Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 153.5 -115 / -105 | +340 |
- St. John's vs Georgetown spread: St. John's -8.5
- St. John's vs Georgetown over/under: 153.5 points
- St. John's vs Georgetown moneyline: St. John's -450, Georgetown +340
St. John's vs Georgetown College Basketball Betting Preview
St. John's Basketball
St. John’s is a tough team to figure out. I think the Red Storm are good enough to hover around the top 25 in KenPom, but they’ve struggled against good teams — all four of their losses are to top-35 teams, and they only have one such win.
What holds them back from beating these elite teams? I’d say point guard play, the preseason issue that everyone noticed besides Rick Pitino.
That might not matter in this matchup, though. The group of Ian Jackson, Oziyah Sellers and Joson Sanon is talented enough to make up for not having a true lead guard. However, the lack of offensive flow is apparent against better opponents.
Jackson has played well of late, scoring 10+ points in four consecutive games. However, he needs to take his game to the next level as the main ball handler in the Johnnies' backcourt.
In this matchup, St. John’s has the edge in most facets. The most notable edge is on the interior, as Bryce Hopkins and Zuby Ejiofor both average just shy of 14 points per game and shoot around 50% from the field.
I expect that duo to make a living at the foul line. Both reach the charity stripe more than five times per game, and Georgetown tends be a foul-happy team.
As most Pitino-coached teams are, St. John's is terrific on the defensive end. It ranks 17th in defensive efficiency, while forcing turnovers on 21% of its possessions.
That might not matter here due to Georgetown's solid ball control, but the Red Storm are 65th in 2-point percentage and 28th in 3-point percentage.
Georgetown Basketball
The “is Georgetown legit” discourse has faded rather quickly, with the Hoyas sitting at 9-4 with four straight losses to top-100 teams.
The Hoyas fell a scorer or two short entering the season, and it’s played out that way. They rank 100th in offensive efficiency and have struggled shooting from deep, connecting at a 30% clip.
Georgetown has four players averaging between 11 and 14 points per game, but none of the guards score efficiently. Returning leading scorer Malik Mack was supposed to be the go-to guy. However, he’s been a mixed bag, shooting just 37% from the field.
In general, Georgetown is a mess on the offensive end, and it’s not an issue limited to shooting. The lone saving grace for the Hoyas' offense is their ability to control the ball, turning it over a nation-best 12% of the time.
With the very predictable offensive concerns, it was paramount for Ed Cooley to get into his defensive bag this season. Instead, the Hoyas' defense is somehow worse than their offense, ranking 122nd in defensive efficiency.
The Hoyas' depth continues to dwindle — big man Vince Iwuchukwu has been out since the Clemson game, and backup guard DeShawn Harris-Smith is no longer with the program. Plus, starting four-man Caleb Williams missed Monday’s game against Coppin State.
Williams is the only player on Georgetown shooting better than 33% deep, so he’s an important cog.
Iwuchukwu’s absence created a bigger role for sophomore Julius Halaifonua, who's made the most of his enlarged role. The 7-footer from New Zealand scored 14+ points in six straight games, but he’s a defensive liability.
St. John's vs. Georgetown Betting Analysis
Laying 9.5 points on the road is a heavy ask, but Georgetown is a pretty bad unit right now. The only real avenue to Georgetown scoring against an elite defense like St. John's is getting to the free-throw line or making more 3s than usual.
Scoring inside on this tough interior isn't a real option for the Hoyas.
So, can Georgetown get to the line? It won't be easy, as St. John's ranks 29th in FTA/FGA defense, per KenPom. Pitino will try to get his team to force Georgetown into tough 2s. That's where over 65% of shots come against this Red Storm defense, and the Hoyas shoot inefficiently from 2-point range.
I expect the Red Storm to use their quick pace to win this one by double-digits on the road.
They can make this a lopsided game by forcing Georgetown into an uncomfortable tempo.
My Pick: St. John's -8.5 (Play to -10.5)
