The No. 23 Seton Hall Pirates (12-2, 1-0 Big East) look to continue a seven-game home winning streak when they square off with the St. John’s Red Storm (10-3, 0-1 Big East) at Prudential Center. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 148 points with Seton Hall set as a 12-point favorite. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 31, 2017.
St. John’s Red Storm at Seton Hall Pirates Odds Preview
In the Red Storm’s last game, they lost big to the Providence Friars, 94-72. St. John’s Shamorie Ponds recorded 16 points and six assists in the contest. Providence was lights out from beyond the arc (16-30; 53.3 percent). St. John’s, meanwhile, had a better free throw rate (0.141 vs. 0.125).
The Pirates come in on a high note after defeating the No. 25 Creighton Bluejays in their last game, 90-84. Angel Delgado had a good outing for Seton Hall, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Seton Hall dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a ridiculous free throw rate of 0.349 (above their season average of 0.230) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 30.8 (below their season average of 37.6). Creighton recorded marks of 0.155 and 26.8, respectively, for those same stats.
Points could be at a premium as two of the NCAA’s top defenses face off. Seton Hall ranks 55th in defensive efficiency (95.3) and St. John’s is 20th (90.9).
In terms of the O/U total, these teams are complete opposites. Games including St. John’s have gone under 55.6 percent of the time, while Seton Hall games have gone over 66.7 percent of the time. The Pirates hold a significant advantage in both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 12-2 SU and 7-7 ATS, while the Red Storm are 10-3 SU and 4-6-1 ATS.
Delgado has taken his game to another level recently for Seton Hall, averaging 14.6 rebounds and 13.8 points over the last five games.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after splitting two games last season. In the most recent matchup, the Red Storm won 78-70. The Red Storm played a nearly perfect game. They had a superb turnover percentage of 9.8 and a superb free throw rate of 0.297. For those same stats, the Pirates recorded marks of 20.1 and 0.283, respectively.
St. John’s Red Storm at Seton Hall Pirates Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Seton Hall, ATS Winner – St. John’s, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Pirates rank 32nd in assists allowed per game (11.0) while the Red Storm rank 64th (12.0).
- St. John’s is 1-5 ATS on the road with 3 overs and 3 unders.
- At home, Seton Hall is 4-5 ATS with 5 overs and 2 unders.
- Seton Hall ranks 48th in rebounds per game (39.6) while St. John’s ranks 235th in rebounds allowed per game (39.2).
- The Red Storm average 6.6 blocks per game, which ranks sixth in the nation. The Pirates rank 90th in blocks allowed per game (3.4).
- St. John’s ranks 19th in steals per game (8.8) while Seton Hall ranks 83rd (6.9).
Bettings Trends:
- Seton Hall is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, St. John’s is 1-3-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Pirates average margin of victory in their last five games has been 11.2, down from 12.9 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Red Storm have scored an average of 71.2 points per game (2.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.6 points per game (8.4 above their season average).
