The St. John's Red Storm play the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in San Diego, California, on Sunday, March 22. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS.
St. John's is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -166. Meanwhile, Kansas enters as the underdog at +3.5 with a moneyline of +138. The over/under sits at 144.5 total points.
Here’s my St. John's vs. Kansas predictions and college basketball picks for Sunday, March 22.
St. John's Red Storm vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, Picks
My Pick: St. John's -3.5 (Play to -4.5)
My St. John's vs Kansas best bet is on the Red Storm to cover the spread. 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 Kansas Odds, Line, Spread
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -108 | 144.5 -108o / -112u | -175 |
| Kansas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -112 | 144.5 -108o / -112u | +145 |
- St. John's vs Kansas Spread: St. John's -3.5, Kansas +3.5
- St. John's vs Kansas Over/Under: 144.5
- St. John's vs Kansas Moneyline: St. John's ML -175, Kansas ML +145
St. John's vs Kansas NCAA Tournament Preview
St. John's Red Storm Betting Preview
After the Johnnies won the Big East Tournament in dominant fashion, some eyed St. John's as a team with a chance to make a deep run this month.
When the Red Storm drew a 5-seed and a feisty Northern Iowa squad, naysayers started to wonder if an early exit was possible for head coach Rick Pitino's bunch.
That notion faded quickly after St. John's began its first-round matchup with a 13-0 spurt and led, 21-4, after eight minutes of play.
Like so many St. John's opponents this season, Northern Iowa got physically overwhelmed. The Red Storm owned the glass, drew a ton of contact at the rim, and made the Panthers work for every decent shot.
Zuby Ejiofor once again led the way for St. John's, posting 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and a steal. His ceiling unlocks the Red Storm's best performances.
When Ejiofor is the best big in the game, St. John's is in a good position to win. When he plays like one of the best bigs in the country, the Red Storm really gets rolling.
Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview
Kansas similarly jumped out to an early lead against its first-round mid-major foe, leading Cal Baptist, 25-8, after 12 minutes of play.
The Kansas lead grew to 25 points in the early second half, yet unlike St. John's, Kansas left the door open. The Jayhawks would score just four points over the game's final 8:21, as Cal Baptist chipped away at the gap. The Lancers got within six, nearly getting back into the game.
Darryn Peterson was incredible during the early part of the game, eventually scoring 28 of Kansas' 68 points.
While Peterson played 37 minutes, it's hard not to wonder about his disappearance during Cal Baptist's comeback. He ended the game with just one assist and one rebound and was on the floor for Kansas' nearly nine-minute cold stretch.
In his defense, it did not help that his teammates were, for the most part, offensively inept. Peterson was the only Jayhawk to hit a 3-pointer in the game, with his teammates going 0-for-8.
The Kansas offense was stagnant, recording only eight assists on 26 field goals, matching the Jayhawks' eight turnovers.
St. John's vs Kansas NCAAB Pick to Bet
When filling out your bracket, this likely jumped off the page as a sexy second-round matchup. Two Hall-of-Fame coaches, with big-name players on their teams, are squaring off with a Sweet 16 trip on the line.
Despite the lower seed and playing 3,000 miles from home, the red-hot Red Storm enter as the favorites in this game.
That's warranted given how strong the Johnnies have been late in the season. St. John's has lost just once since Jan. 3, a road blowout at UConn.
Kansas has been the opposite, dropping five of its final eight games before the NCAA Tournament.
Most of Kansas' trouble has come away from Phog Allen Fieldhouse. Haslametrics ranks the Jayhawks 348th in games played away from home. They were 10-9 ATS in games on the road, compared to 12-5 for the Red Storm.
St. John's has plenty of ways to make Peterson's life difficult, and while his teammates aren't likely to repeat Friday's ice-cold shooting, there's not enough help for Kansas to efficiently score against an elite Johnnies defense.
Former Jayhawk Zuby Ejiofor will get his revenge as St. John's moves on.
My Pick: St. John's -3.5 (Play to -4.5)
