It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Omaha-St John’s prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Omaha-St John’s.
The St John’s Red Storm are storming into March. They won the Big East regular-season championship. They did not let up at the Big East Tournament, winning that event with three decisive wins. They are back in the big leagues in major college basketball, returning to the standard set by beloved former head coach Lou Carnesecca, who died just short of age 100 during this college basketball season. Rick Pitino has, in just two years, resurrected this program. St. John’s was completely irrelevant for the several years before he arrived. He nearly got to the NCAA Tournament in Year 1 but has fully transformed the Red Storm in Year 2.
The formula for St. John’s is not complicated: The Red Storm will play hard for 40 minutes. They will defend well, especially in the second half. They will make effort plays which lead to steals, winning battles for 50-50 balls, and rebounds. St. John’s is not an elite shooting team, but it will get on the glass to put back misses and also limit opponents to one shot. The Johnnies have been a superb second-half team this season, especially in the past month. They pride themselves on wearing down opponents and playing a full 40-minute game. Rick Pitino teams, going back to Kentucky in the early 1990s, are built on their belief that they might not win the first 25 minutes, but over 40. The full force with which they play will ultimately make the difference.
Here are the Omaha-St John’s College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
2025 March Madness Tournament Odds: Omaha-St John’s Odds
Omaha: +18.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +1280
St John’s: -18.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -3500
Over: 147.5 (-115)
Under: 147.5 (-105)
How to Watch Omaha vs St John’s
Time: 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT
TV: CBS
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Omaha Will Cover The Spread/Win
If you look at St John’s and the way it plays, the Johnnies are not a good shooting team. If Omaha can force St John’s to shoot jump shots, the Mavericks can stay close in this game. Omaha was very, very strong in its Summit League Tournament championship march, winning all three games by at least nine points and an average of over 13. As long as Omaha does not get blown out on the boards and can be reasonably competitive in that one statistical category, the Mavericks can keep this game close enough to cover the spread.
Why St John’s Will Cover The Spread/Win
St John’s is a very good team, but more than that, the Johnnies are rolling. They are an extremely confident bunch. They are playing with maximum effort even in situations when they don’t absolutely have to win. They won at Marquette in the regular season finale. They had already clinched the Big East championship and could have looked ahead to the Big East Tournament. They could have taken it easy and jogged through that game. Instead, they went full-tilt and beat a good team on the road. Now that the Johnnies are in the NCAA Tournament, of course they will play with 200-percent energy. They will overwhelm Omaha by the time it’s all said and done.
Final Omaha-St John’s Prediction & Pick
St. John’s starts slow and then roars in the second half. Our lean is St John’s, but the best play might be to get Omaha on a first-half spread bet and take SJU for the full-game spread bet. That might be a better way to play this. You could also just wait 10 minutes. Maybe if SJU gets off to a slow start, you could get the Johnnies minus-12.5 or 13.5 points as a live play.
Final Omaha-St John’s Prediction & Pick: St John’s -18.5
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