The 2021-22 CBB season continues Friday, February 18, so we are taking a closer look at the Big East Conference showdown from Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York, to get you the best Butler vs. St. John’s betting pick and odds. 

The Bulldogs and Red Storm lock horns for the second time this term. A couple of weeks ago, St. John’s outlasted Butler 75-72 as a small 1.5-point road fave with a total of 140.5 points. According to MyBookie Sportsbook, the Red Storm opened as 4.5-point home favorites for Friday’s clash. 

Butler shoots for its third straight W     

The Butler Bulldogs improved to 13-13 straight up and 11-14 ATS on the season following a 73-71 victory at the DePaul Blue Demons last Tuesday. Playing as 6-point road underdogs, the Bulldogs recorded their second straight victory, beating the line for the fourth time in their last five outings.

In his fourth start of the season, freshman guard Simas Lukosius dropped 19 points on DePaul, making eight of his 14 attempts from the field. Sophomore guard Chuck Harris added 18 points and five rebounds, while senior G Aaron Thompson had 11 points and three assists.

Butler scores only 102.5 points per 100 possessions (179th in the country) on 42.2% shooting from the field (276th) and 31.7% from beyond the arc (291st). The Bulldogs are 6-9 in conference play, sitting at the ninth spot of the Big East standings. Butler is No. 119 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 129 in the KenPom rankings.

St. John’s beat Xavier, snapped its two-game skid     

The St. John’s Red Storm improved to 14-11 SU and 12-12-1 ATS on the season following an impressive 86-73 victory at the Xavier Musketeers this past Wednesday. They upset the odds as 6.5-point road underdogs to stop a two-game slide.

Junior guard Julian Champagne tortured the Musketeers for 27 points and five assists, while sophomore guard Posh Alexander posted a line of eight points, four assists, and four steals. The Red Storm played some lovely stuff down the stretch, outscoring Xavier 21-11 in the final six minutes.

St. John’s occupies the No. 8 seed in the Big East with a 6-8 record. The Red Storm are No. 78 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 72 in the KenPom rankings. They play at the fourth-fastest pace in the NBA, averaging a whopping 73.2 possessions per 40 minutes. 

Trends:

Butler:

  • 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall  
  • 6-2 ATS in the last eight games on the road

St. John’s:

  • 5-9-1 ATS in the last 15 games against Butler
  • 4-8 ATS in the last 12 outings as favorites

Butler vs. St. John’s Pick

On paper, the Red Storm are a better team than the Bulldogs. St. John’s tallies 108.5 points per 100 possessions (76th in the country) and allows 97.7 in a return (75th). The Bulldogs, on the other side, surrender 99.0 points per 100 possessions, and they’ll look for their defense to keep them alive.

I’ve mentioned the Red Storm’s furious pace. Butler will try its best to slow things down, and the Bulldogs average only 63.4 possessions per 40 minutes (341st). They lost by three points to St. John’s at home, holding the Red Storm to only 12.5% shooting from deep. Butler also went 10-for-28 from downtown, but it wasn’t enough. With nine points on the table, I’m taking the underdogs, as the Red Storm have gone only 1-5 ATS in their last six outings as favorites of nine or more points.

Pick: Take Butler +9.0 at -110                 

The Total:

The over is 4-1-1 in the Red Storm’s last six outings and 9-2 in the Bulldogs’ previous 11. Their previous two H2H duels have gone over the total, producing more than 141 points in total each, so the betting trends clearly suggest the over.

Butler will manage to slow down St. John’s a bit, but they could still combine for 142 or more points. Only one of the Red Storm’s last six contests has seen fewer than 144 points on the scoreboard.

Pick: Go under 141.0 points at -110