The St. John’s Red Storm and the North Texas Mean Green meet Thursday in college basketball action from TD Arena. St. John’s is currently 1-1 and coming off a loss to Michigan on Monday. As for North Texas, they’re 2-0 after a win over Omaha in their last appearance. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
St. John’s Red Storm
The Red Storm opened up the year with a matchup versus Stony Brook. St. John’s turned an 11-point halftime lead into a 90-74 victory, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 50 percent (11-of-22) from 3-point range along the way. The Red Storm had a nice rebounding day with a 43-30 advantage, and also tallied 21 team assists.
In game two versus Michigan, the Red Storm couldn’t quite keep the pace. St. John’s was down 48-38 by halftime and didn’t get any better from there in an 89-73 loss. Tops in scoring was Joel Soriano with 15 points and nine rebounds. Both Daniss Jenkins and Jordan Dingle added 10 points apiece.
North Texas Mean Green
Over on the North Texas side, they kicked things off with a matchup versus Northern Iowa last Tuesday. The Mean Green needed OT to do it, but ultimately pulled off an 83-77 win. North Texas shot a nice 47.4 percent from the field and 50 percent (11-of-22) on three-pointers, but were bested on the boards 39-37 (16-11 offensive).
North Texas got off to a fast start in their last matchup versus Omaha. The Mean Green were up 42-26 by the break and eventually pulled off the win 75-64. CJ Noland and Aaron Scott each scored 18 points to lead the team, while Moulaye Sissoko put up 10 points with seven rebounds. Rubin Jones added nine points and eight assists as well.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably take a stab on North Texas here. The Mean Green looked pretty good in their last outing versus Omaha, shooting a blistering 56.3 percent from the field with a 31-23 rebounding edge and 12 team assists. That makes 158 total points through two games for the Mean Green so far; the offense is chugging along nicely.
As for St. John’s, they should look pretty solid here as well. The Red Storm couldn’t quite hang around with Michigan in their last outing however, managing a middling 36 percent from the field and 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from the line. The good news is that St. John’s had a 47-39 advantage in rebounding, so they’ll get a few second chances in this matchup. I still like North Texas a little better cover-wise, though.
