The St. John's Red Storm take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Atlanta, GA, in the CBS Sports Classic. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
St. John's is favored by -3 points on the spread with a moneyline of -165. The total is set at 156 points.
Here’s my St. John's vs. Kentucky prediction and college basketball picks for December 20, 2025.
St. John's vs Kentucky Prediction
My Pick: Under 156.5 or Better
My St. John's vs Kentucky best bet is on the under. 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. Kentucky Odds
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 156 -110o / -110u | -165 |
| Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 156 -110o / -110u | +140 |
- St. John's vs Kentucky spread: St. John's -3
- St. John's vs Kentucky over/under: 156 points
- St. John's vs Kentucky moneyline: St. John's -165, Kentucky +140
St. John's vs Kentucky College Basketball Betting Preview
This game has plenty of juice behind it, with both teams projected to have Final Four level rosters entering the season while entering with three or more losses. This game should have even more excitement, with Rick Pitino coaching against the school he led to a National Championship in 1996.
Instead of this game being played in Rupp Arena or Madison Square Garden, it's part of the CBS Sports Classic, being played in Atlanta.
Big Blue Nation will still make it plenty loud in the city they call "Cat-lanta," yet Pitino's group will be ready, with its sights on a resume-boosting win.
St. John's Basketball
Last season was the best year for St. John's men's basketball in decades. It was the first 30-win season the school had since 1986, with the highest NCAA Tournament seed and first Big East Tournament win since 2000. Rick Pitino firmly brought the Red Storm back to prominence.
Stars RJ Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond left after last season, though All-Big East big man Zuby Ejiofor came back to campus. He was joined by some major scores in the transfer portal, namely Providence leading scorer Bryce Hopkins and former top recruit Ian Jackson.
For the first time in years, this program had major expectations on a national level.
Six weeks into the season, the Red Storm haven't fully lived up to the billing. In four games against top 50 opponents, St. John's is 1-4, with the lone win coming over Baylor.
Losses to Alabama, Iowa State and Auburn aren't reasons for alarm, though for a team hoping to play games in April, a start of 7-3 — with Kentucky next on the schedule — isn't exactly the right pace.
Last season's Red Storm won by being historically great defensively and bullying teams offensively, especially on the glass. This team is more skilled, with better shooters and a more complete offensive attack, yet lacks the same edge St. John's embodied last season.
That Red Storm team was top 20 nationally in blocking shots, forcing turnovers and winning offensive rebounds, while protecting the defensive glass as well.
This Red Storm team doesn't quite have those calling cards, especially on the glass, where opponents are grabbing 13.8 offensive rebounds, 12th-most in the country.
There might be another gear for this team, especially as it learns to play as a unit. I hope to see that gear this season, with Saturday being a perfect opportunity in difficult neutral site environment.
Kentucky Basketball
Kentucky also entered this season with sky-high expectations. The Wildcats had a strong year in Mark Pope's first season as head coach in Lexington, earning a three-seed and a trip to the Sweet 16.
With key contributors like Otega Oweh and Brandon Garrison joined by a crop of top level transfer targets, many expected Kentucky to improve upon last season. In the early going, that hasn't been the case. Kentucky was absolutely dismantled by Gonzaga on December 5, falling to 5-4 on the year.
Kentucky didn't lose a fourth game until January 18 last season. In fact, it was Kentucky's earliest fourth loss since 2008, under Billy Gillispie.
Pope is coaching like he did at BYU and last season, encouraging his offense to be high-tempo and 3-point focused, yet he built a roster that doesn't match his typical taste.
There are too many bad shooters or non-shooters in the lineup to effectively open up space for the better marksmen on the team. Even among those making 3s, only Collin Chandler is a true dead eye, with defenses well aware of that fact.
The good news in Lexington comes from the injury report, where Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance is due to return, possibly for this game. He was one of the nation's best freshmen last season, posting six double-doubles before a knee injury ended his season in late February.
He doesn't fix the shooting issues at all, but he should add some toughness and a high motor that Pope will put to good use.
St. John's vs. Kentucky Betting Analysis
If Quaintance returns, Pope's issue of finding the right lineup that maximizes his team on both ends of the floor doesn't get any easier. Some would argue that this fringes on a "good problem to have," but it's certainly a problem that will persist.
Even if he doesn't make his season debut, both of these teams have had their issues offensively, yet they'll make their name this season with defense. In a 12:30 p.m. ET tip-off, I'm not expecting a shootout.
Pitino would love for this game to devolve into a street fight, while Pope likely fears that outcome, despite his team maybe being best served playing that way.
I'll take the under, as I'm expecting a rock fight.
My Pick: Under 156.5 or Better
