St. John’s vs West Virginia Odds, Pick for Friday

They say that styles make matchups, and the Big East-Big 12 Battle certainly gives us an interesting one as the St. John's Red Storm take on the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Rick Pitino's Red Storm have blown past their opposition thus far thanks to a unique brand of up-tempo basketball. However, the Mountaineers are the polar opposite under Josh Eilert.

So, what's the best way to bet on this matchup of contrasting styles? Let's find out with St. John's vs. West Virginia odds and a pick, including an NCAAB betting guide for Friday, Dec. 1.

The tempo of the Red Storm can make or break this matchup for them. As I alluded to in the open, St. John's has been an up-tempo club this season, and while the Red Storm aren't firing from beyond the arc like last season, they've been very efficient from 3.

The 3-ball has been the one point of weakness for the West Virginia defense, but volume is a big question mark. We actually have a good data point for the Red Storm against a slow, methodical team that's solid defensively.

In their third game of the season, the Red Storm faced off against North Texas, which is 358th in tempo and 33rd in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. The Mean Green controlled the tempo and contained the Red Storm to just 53 points.

The Mountaineers have a very similar profile. They come into this matchup 351st in tempo and 62nd in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency.

So, if the Red Storm are unable to speed up the Mountaineers, they could be in for an offensive grind.

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For years under Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers' calling card was their defense. The suffocating style of defense helped amplify an average offensive team.

However, this season, the steals haven't been there, and the Mountaineers have struggled in half-court sets. They're 331st in effective field goal percentage and are a three-man band when it comes to options on the offensive end of the floor.

Quinn Slazinski, Jesse Edwards and Kobe Johnson account for an average of 43 points per game, but the highest shooting percentage among the three of them is 54.1%.

Now, the Red Storm aren't an elite defensive club, but they can certainly hold their own. St. John's is 96th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and has been solid at contesting shots from inside the arc.

With Joel Soriano matching up against Edwards and Chris Ledlum against Slazinski, the Red Storm should be able to hold the scuffling Mountaineers in check.

This total opened at 144.5, which is right in line with KenPom, who has it projected at 145. The market has driven it up to as high as 146.5, but it wouldn't shock me if it's a head fake so that market movers can come in hard on the under as limits increase.

That movement would be in line with the analysis above, as both teams' offensive outlooks point to the under.

Pick: Under 146.5 (Play to 144.5)

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