Today's Free Picks for

Pinnacle -3 -104 BET365 -3 -110 Sportsinteraction -3 -110 888Sport -3 -110
Posted at 10:00 AM ET. Odds are subject to change.
St. John’s -3 over Marquette
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
6:30 PM ET. Basketball in the Big Apple is having a moment. The Knicks are looking like legitimate Finals contenders, boasting two All-Star starters for the first time in 50 years. Meanwhile, St. John’s—New York’s college hoops darling—is back on the national radar, sitting pretty at #13 in the latest rankings. Normally, we’d see a hot start like this as a prime opportunity to fade the Red Storm, but given Marquette’s recent dominance in this matchup, there’s value to be found in backing the Johnnies, who are playing at a level we haven’t seen in years.
Marquette has been the class of the Big East all season, a near-lock for the NCAA Tournament, and a team that has hovered inside the Top 10 for most of the year. Against St. John’s, the Golden Eagles have been a nightmare. They’ve won the last six meetings, often in heartbreaking fashion for the Red Storm—overtime losses, blown leads, and gut-punch finishes. Yet, despite that history, St. John’s is favored by the largest margin they’ve had against Marquette in recent memory. That alone warrants a deeper dive into why the books are showing SJU so much respect.
The energy around this St. John’s team is different. It’s palpable. They have the look of a squad built for March. Rick Pitino has the Johnnies playing a disciplined, fundamentally sound brand of basketball that makes them a tough out for anyone. They take smart shots, crash the boards relentlessly, and clamp down defensively. Opponents shoot under 40% against them, they rank fourth in Division I in blocks per game (3.5), and they allow just 65.2 points per contest—31st in the nation. They also force turnovers at an elite level, averaging 16 takeaways per game against the 64th-ranked strength of schedule.
Simply put, this is a battle-tested team ready to exorcise its Marquette demons. With the game at Madison Square Garden, a packed house of fired-up Johnnies fans will create an atmosphere that will be tough for even a veteran Marquette squad to handle. The line suggests that SJU’s home-court edge, combined with their defensive prowess and improved roster, is enough to get the job done.
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Our Pick
St. John's -3 -104 (Risking 2.08 units - To Win: 2.00)