A classic Big East college basketball rivalry takes center stage at the Garden tonight, as AP No. 18 St. John’s hosts Georgetown.
The Johnnies enter after Saturday’s hallmark 32-point blowout victory against Villanova, and a realistic path toward a second consecutive conference regular season title.
Ed Cooley and the Hoyas are losers of six straight, with a 5-13 mark in conference play, tied with Marquette for last place in the standings.
Rick Pitino and St. John’s are 16.5-point home favorites, with an Over/Under checking in at 148.5 total points per BetMGM.
St John’s vs. Georgetown: prediction, best bet
It’s been another forgetful campaign for Georgetown, ranking 90th overall in KenPom as of Tuesday, with a subpar defensive rating of 106.0.
Harvard transfer Malik Mack supplies 13.8 points and 4.2 assists per game, but the Hoyas are going to lack the necessary depth to stay with the Johnnies.
To make matters worse, leading scorer KJ Lewis, who notched a game-high 27 points versus St. John’s back in Dec, will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.
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The Red Storm executed a near-perfect game script against Villanova in response to last week’s disappointing loss to No. 4 Connecticut.
It all started with the man in the middle, Zuby Ejiofor, who is a leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year.
Ejiofor had his way the last time these two teams met, recording 25 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists in the Johnnies 95-83 win over the Hoyas earlier this season.
If he can mirror his triple-double performance over the weekend for Senior Night, it’s going to be a tough cover for the Hoyas.
Pitino has constructed a roster of depth and versatility with Ian Jackson, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, and Oziyah Sellers all averaging 10.4 points or more.
St. John’s 95.0 adjusted defensive efficiency ranks 15th per KenPom, entering this contest, and the Johnnies own a 16-2 dominant conference record.
Ejiofor is in a good spot to deliver for the Red Storm faithful in his final regular-season showing at MSG.
The Plays: Zuby Ejiofor Over 3.5 assists + Over 7.5 rebounds (+165, BetMGM)
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