The Xavier Musketeers and St. John’s Red Storm meet Wednesday in college basketball action at the Carnesecca Arena. The Xavier Musketeers look for their 11th win. The St. John’s Red Storm look for their 12th win.
The Xavier Musketeers are averaging 83.8 points on 51.1 percent shooting and allowing 73.6 points on 44.1 percent shooting. Souley Boum is averaging 17.3 points and 3.7 rebounds, while Colby Jones is averaging 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds. Jack Nunge is the third double-digit scorer and Zach Freemantle is dishing 3.2 assists. The Xavier Musketeers are shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc and 71.7 percent from the free throw line. The Xavier Musketeers are allowing 36.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.6 rebounds per game.
The St. John’s Red Storm are averaging 79.5 points on 46.1 percent shooting and allowing 68.4 points on 41.3 percent shooting. Joel Soriano is averaging 15.4 points and 12.6 rebounds, while David Jones is averaging 14.6 points and 2.1 assists. Andre Curbelo is the third double-digit scorer and Montez Mathis is dishing 0.7 assists. The St. John’s Red Storm are shooting 30.6 percent from beyond the arc and 70.6 percent from the free throw line. The St. John’s Red Storm are allowing 31.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 39.2 rebounds per game.
The Musketeers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Wednesday games. The Red Storm are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 Wednesday games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The over is 20-6-1 in Musketeers last 27 overall. The under is 4-1 in Red Storm last 5 overall. The favorite is 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
The Xavier Musketeers are the more talented team, and they’re playing the better ball overall. However, this line suggests that oddsmakers are higher on St. John’s probably more than most. Also, being at home matters, as St. John’s wins by an average of 18 points while holding teams under 40 percent shooting. Toss up game, I’m usually going to give the edge to the home side. Give me the Red Storm in a big conference victory.