The Omaha Mavericks and the St. John’s Red Storm meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Amica Mutual Pavilion. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Omaha vs. St. John’s prediction.
Omaha Recap
The Omaha Mavericks come into the NCAA tournament as the representative of the Summit League with a record of 22-12 on the year, including a 13-3 mark in Summit League conference play. As the regular season champions and #1 seed, Omaha knocked off Kansas City, South Dakota, and St. Thomas on the way to the Summit League tournament title.
Mavericks Making First NCAA Tournament Appearance
Marquel Sutton leads Omaha in scoring and rebounding with 19.1 PPG and 8 RPG while JJ White has 13.7 PPG with 2.6 RPG and a team-high 4 APG to lead Omaha in the assist department this season. Tony Osburn has 12.2 PPG with 3.4 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Omaha up to this point in the year. Lance Waddles has 9.1 PPG with 3.9 RPG and Ja’Sean Glover has 7.9 PPG with 2.8 RPG as a team, Omaha is averaging 78.1 PPG on 46.6% shooting from the field, 36.7% from three-point range, and 72.4% from the foul line this season.
Why the Omaha Mavericks will win
- Omaha has won each of its last six games.
- St. John’s has lost six of its last seven games at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
St. John’s Recap
The St. John’s Red Storm come into the NCAA tournament as the Big East champions, finishing the year with an overall record of 30-4 on the year, including an 18-2 mark in Big East conference play. As the regular season Big East champions and the #1 seed, St. John’s took out Butler, Marquette, and Creighton to hoist the Big East title.
Red Storm Make First NCAA Tournament Appearance Since 2019
RJ Luis Jr. leads the Red Storm in scoring with 18.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG along with 2.1 APG while Zuby Ejiofor has 14.6 PPG with a team-high 8 RPG. Kadary Richmond has 12.7 PPG with 6.4 RPG and a team-high 5.4 APG to lead St. John’s in assists and to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for St. John’s so far this season. Deivon Smith has 9.2 PPG with 4.8 RPG and 4 APG, and Simeon Wilcher has 8.1 PPG while Aaron Scott has 8.5 PPG with 4.1 RPG. As a team, St. John’s is averaging 78.7 PPG on 45.1% shooting from the field, 30.4% from three, and 68.9% from the foul line this season.
Why the St. John’s Red Storm will win
- St. John’s has won each of its last nine games.
- Omaha has lost 31 of its last 35 night games against non-conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of St. John’s’ last eight night games has produced a total of 148 or fewer points.
- Six of Omaha’s last seven games against non-conference opponents have produced a total of 141 or fewer points.
Omaha vs. St. John’s Prediction
I’m on St. John’s here. I just think that Omaha is overmatched by a wide margin in this game, as St. John’s plays a physical style of defense that Omaha is not accustomed to seeing in the Summit League, which is offense, offense, and more offense. St. John’s steamrolled inferior competition all year on non-conference play and I think that the Red Storm knocked off Omaha in a big way here. Give me Omaha in this one.