The 2nd round of the Big East Tournament takes place today and we will see the St John's Redmen take on the Villanova Wildcats. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on ESPN 2. Currently the Odds for the game have Villanova favored by 4.5 points while the total sits at 125.
Analysis: The Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament hopes appeared to be fading in mid-February, but a 4-2 finish – including a home victory over top-seeded Georgetown that halted the Hoyas' 11-game win streak – likely solidified their tournament resume. They collected three victories over top-five opponents during the Big East schedule. Ryan Arcidiacono (12.2 points) is riding a 13-game streak of hitting at least one 3-pointer. Over his last nine games, the freshman guard shot 44.4 percent beyond the arc and drilled five 3-pointers in a game three times. Arcidiacono set career highs in 3-pointers (seven) and points (32) in the Wildcats’ 98-86 overtime victory over the Red Storm on Jan. 2. Despite finishing the regular season fifth on the team in scoring, James Bell (8.8 points) emerged as an important player for Villanova, shooting 56.3 percent from beyond the arc in the last seven minutes of regulation and overtime this season. Wildcats F Mouphtaou Yarou needs one block to become the 10th player in school history with 100. Villanova is 12-0 when it hits at least seven 3-pointers and 11-2 when Bell scores in double figures.
The Red Storm have lost four straight since coach Steve Lavin suspended leading scorer D’Angelo Harrison for unspecified reasons and six of seven overall. While five of those six losses have been to ranked foes, St. John’s is averaging 53.3 points and shooting 35.5 percent – including 10.9 percent from beyond the arc – in Harrison’s absence. Big East Rookie of the Year JaKarr Sampson (14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds) claimed the weekly honor seven times – trailing only Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony (10), Georgetown’s Allen Iverson (nine) and Notre Dame’s Troy Murphy (eight) – for the most such awards in conference history. Sampson produced two 20-point efforts and shot 48 percent from the field over his last five games. The Red Storm have hit only six 3-pointers during Harrison’s absence, hardly surprising since he accounted for about half of the team’s 3-pointers. St. John’s leads the nation in blocks (7.5 per game), thanks mostly to the nation’s second-leading shot blocker Chris Obekpa (4.1 blocks). St. John’s is the eighth-worst 3-point shooting team in the country (3.8 per game).
Pick: I will go with the Under in this one. The Redmen just can't score right now as they have averaged just 56.3 ppg (Regulation) in their last 7 games. In their last 5 games they have shot just 37.3% from the field, including a mere 16.4% from long range. Those numbers may not get all that much better vs a tough Cats defense that has allowed just 58.5 ppg in their last 8 games (Regulation). Offensively Villanova is not all that strong and they are not an uptempo team. The Cats do average 67.9 ppg on the year, but have struggled some down the stretch as they have put up just 62.5 ppg in heir last 4 games. With their lack of scoring punch of late, the Redmen have turned to their defense a bit more and they have allowed just 62.8 ppg in their last 5 games. Both teams are poor shooting teams, neither team hits the 3 all that well and just 1 team (Villanova) can hit FT's, plus both are playing good defense right now. This should be a slow paced game with around 120 points being scored.
NBA and College Basketball Betting Tips: 2nd Half Wagering
What NBA and college basketball bettors need to know about making 2nd half wagers during games, with tips from Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard and host Steve Fezzik.