In a New York battle, the Fordham Rams will take on the St. John’s Red Storm at Carnesecca Arena at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
The Rams lost seven games by five points or less last season on their way to a 13-20 overall record and a 6-12 record in the Atlantic 10. One of their losses came to St. John’s, 77-55, at Madison Square Garden.
On the flip side, despite winning 20 games, the Johnnies surprisingly missed out on the NCAA Tournament in Rick Pitino’s first season.
The Johnnies are heavy favorites to open this new campaign as they’re -18.5 on the spread. Also, the total checks in at 144.5 points.
Here’s my Fordham vs. St. John’s predictions and my college basketball picks for Monday.
Fordham vs St. John's Prediction
My pick: Fordham +18.5
My Fordham vs St. John's best bet is on the Rams spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Fordham vs St. John's Odds, Lines, Pick
| Fordham Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+18.5 -115 | 146.5 -115o / -105u | +1000 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-18.5 -105 | 146.5 -115o / -105u | -2000 |
- Fordham vs St. John's spread: St. John's -18.5
- Fordham vs St. John's over/under: 146.5 points
- Fordham vs St. John's moneyline: St. John's -2000, Fordham +1000
- Fordham vs St. John's best bet: Fordham +18.5
Spread
I'm targeting the Rams on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm looking at the Rams on the spread, as I don't expect them to win this game outright.
Over/Under
The total doesn't get a play for this particular matchup
My pick: Fordham +18.5
Fordham vs St. John's Betting Trends to Know
- 71% of the bets are on Fordham to cover the spread, while 93% of the money is on St. John's ATS.
- 80% of the bets and 81% of the money is on the over.
- 97% of the bets and 98% of the money is on the Johnnies moneyline.
Fordham vs St. John's Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY |
| Date: | Monday, November 4 |
| Start Time: | 6:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | FS1 |
Fordham vs St. John's is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. ET start time, live from Carnesecca Arena in Queens, NY on Monday. The game is live on FS1.
Fordham vs St. John's College Basketball Betting Preview
Fordham Basketball
In Keith Urgo’s third season on the job, the Rams have to replace leading scorer Kyle Rose (10.8 PPG), Antrell Charlton (who played nearly 30 minutes per game) and Elijah Gray (8.4 PPG).
But on the plus side, the Rams return the second-most scoring in the Atlantic 10 this season.
Will Richardson and Japhet Medor will lead the way, as they combined for nearly 20 points per game in 2024-25.
Sixth-year forward Abdou Tsimbila is also back to provide interior defense after averaging 2.3 blocks per night last season.
And don’t forget about Joshua Rivera, who dealt with injury issues last year but is ready to add athleticism and versatility to the Rams’ lineup.
Finally, the Rams landed the program’s first four-star freshman since 2018 in Jaden Smith. He originally committed to Arizona State and could be attractive to pro scouts down the line.
Overall, Fordham has experience and chemistry, but the major question mark is if it has enough talent to keep up with the Red Storm.
St. John's Basketball
St. John’s hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000. Hope was brought back to the program when it hired Rick Pitino last year, but his first season was a rollercoaster, consisting of lows like him ripping his team for motivational purposes and highs like six straight wins.
Now the hype and hope is even greater heading into 2024-25. Pitino put together one of the best transfer groups in the country, led by Seton Hall’s Kadary Richmond and Utah’s Deivon Smith.
Richmond was widely labeled as the best portal pickup thanks to his size (6-foot-6), length and ability to get to the basket. His shot is a work in progress, but Pitino said on X that Richmond is “a great jump shot away from playing for the Knicks.”
Meanwhile, Smith is lighting fast and is a pure bucket-getter after averaging 13.3 points per game for the Utes. Pitino even compared Smith to former Louisville guard Peyton Siva in an interview with Blue Ribbon.
It doesn’t end there for the Johnnies, though. Simeon Wilcher, Brady Dunlap and RJ Luis Jr. are all back and will play significant roles in the backcourt or on the wing.
The concern will be whether or not St. John’s can successfully replace Joel Soriano on the interior. We know his 13.8 points per game won’t be filled by one body, but it seems like the Johnnies will be just as good on the glass.
Aaron Scott comes over from North Texas to be a small-ball power forward, Zuby Ejiofor is a strong breakout candidate and Vince Iwuchukwu and Ruben Prey provide extra size. Plus, Richmond and Smith are great rebounders from the guard positions.
St. John’s has depth, talent and athleticism, which is going to help it thrive in Pitino’s system.
Fordham vs St. John's Betting Analysis
For full disclosure, I graduated from St. John’s. But as a fan for many years, it’s helped me greatly for sports betting purposes. I’m not afraid to bet against them and I’m realistic about their expectations and goals while being extra familiar with the program.
That being said, this year, I love St. John’s roster and I have full trust in Pitino running the show.
However, I think this spread is just too large. The Rams are returning over 60% of their scoring from last season, and while their talent level doesn’t match the Johnnies (especially with Jaden Smith playing in just his first college game), I think they put forth a decent effort to start the season.
The Johnnies will be tinkering with lineups as they work to figure out how to utilize their depth to their advantage. Sure, they’re probably going to crush the Rams on the boards and Carnesecca Arena will likely be rocking, but remember, the Rams don’t need to win this game, just cover 18.5.
Give me the team with a little more chemistry on day one of the season.
