Recent history would indicate anyone looking for college basketball free picks may want to steer clear of St. John’s.
The Red Storm largely got lost in the shuffle as the Big East grew and other programs took their turns ruling the top of the conference.
However, Villanova saw some turmoil in the offseason when coach Jay Wright retired.
The Wildcats are hoping to recover their previous swagger, but St. John’s hopes Wednesday night it can show they are ready to grab the crown.
Michigan and UNC will also square off in an interesting matchup on a neutral floor. The Tar Heels and Wolverines are both looking to cash in on national championship aspirations.
St. John’s Red Storm vs. Villanova Wildcats
The long-time Big East rivals will meet at 6:30 pm. Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
College basketball odds have Villanova as a 4.5-point favorite. The Villanova Wildcats are -205 on the moneyline, while St. John’s is +165. The over/under is 146 points.
John’s Red Storm
Of all the NCAA basketball games today, there will be few with a team as motivated as St. John’s. The Red Storm are off to an 11-1 start and will be traveling to Finneran Pavilion, a venue it hasn’t won in since 2003. St. John’s has a deep starting five, including four players who regularly score in double figures.
Center Joel Soriano leads the St. John’s Red Storm by scoring 15.3 points per game and also pulls down 12.6 rebounds per game.
- David Jones (15.1 points per game)
- Andre Curbelo (11.3)
- Montez Mathis (10.0)
Also score in double figures per game. The Red Storm are 6-6 against the spread.
St. John’s has seen the total go over in six of its 12 games. The Red Storm are 0-1 in the only true road game they’ve played this season.
St. John’s has been a good defensive team this season. The Red Storm limits their opponents to 67.6 points per game.
Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats didn’t fall to 6-5 because one specific player hit the college basketball injury report. Villanova just hasn’t seemed right in its first season without long-time coach Jay Wright.
There was destined to be some issues with the transition.
Villanova does need to start getting wins to start climbing back up the college basketball standings. The Wildcats will need to do a better job on defense to close the gap.
Villanova Allowing Opponents
Villanova allows opponents to shoot 35.6 from the perimeter, which ranks 296th nationally.
The Wildcats are 3-8 against the spread and have seen the total go over in seven of their 11 games. Villanova is 3-7 against the spread in their last ten games.
NCAAB Pick: St. John’s (+165)
Michigan Wolverines vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Anyone looking at the college basketball standings can see the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are five-point favorites against Michigan, have had their share of struggles this season.
UNC, which was ranked No. 1 for a few weeks this season, hopes to start rebuilding its reputation at the Jumpman Classic in Charlotte.
NCAAB odds have the Tar Heels -220 on the moneyline, while Michigan is +175. The over/under is 153.5 points.
Michigan Wolverines
When it comes to the NCAAB schedule, the Michigan Wolverines have been battled tested throughout the year. Two of Michigan’s three losses have come by a combined six points in losses to ranked Kentucky and Virginia teams.
Returning big man Hunter Dickinson has been one of the college basketball players spurring on the Wolverines.
Dickson leads the team by averaging 19.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Michigan’s defense has had a tough time this season.
Three Point Shooting
The Wolverines have been gashed by the opponent’s 3-point shooting and gave up 71.3 points per game.
Michigan is 5-5 against the spread. The Wolverines are 2-2 on neutral floors this season. Like many NCAA basketball teams, Michigan played in a number of early-season tournaments.
UNC Tar Heels
There’s no reason to worry much about UNC’s slow start. The Tar Heels, with mostly the same roster, struggled to get started and ultimately found their way to the Final Four. UNC enters this event following an overtime win over Ohio State.
The Tar Heels are still more than capable on offense but have moments of being selfish. UNC is 33rd nationally by scoring 81.6 points per game. Caleb Love leads the Tar Heels by scoring 18.3 points per game. Armando Bacot leads the team in rebounding by pulling down 11.6 per game.
The Tar Heels are 4-7-1 against the spread this season. The total has gone over in six of UNC’s 12 games. The Tar Heels are 2-2 straight up on a neutral floor this season.
NCAAB Pick: Michigan +6 (-110)
NCAAB Parlay Pick
St. John’s is looking to put 30 years of misery behind them Wednesday night.
With Villanova not being as strong as they were in years past, this is a good opportunity for the Red Storm to win outright.
Michigan will be able to hang with UNC, as the Wolverines have been playing good basketball and have shown improvement since the season started.
NCAAB Pick: Two-legged Parlay (+406)
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