DePaul vs. St. John's Prediction and Odds: Can You Trust Red Storm After Long Layoff?

The St. John’s Red Storm are finally getting back on the court after their last four games were postponed due to COVID-19.

The Red Storm have not played a game since Dec. 12 and I think they are probably itching to get back on the court. In their last game out, St. John’s dropped the ball and the game to a rather underwhelming Pittsburgh Panthers team as 13-point favorites.

Tonight, the Red Storm will play host to the DePaul Blue Demons. After starting off 9-1, DePaul has dropped its last two conference games in a row. The Blue Demons' last game was a 70-53 loss to the Providence Friars on Saturday.

Both teams will be gunning for their first Big East win of the season with the Red Storm opening as five-point home favorites. Here are the odds for this Big East matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

DePaul vs. St. John's Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• DePaul +5 (-110)
• St. John's -5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• DePaul +160
• St. John's -190

Total:

• 154.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

DePaul vs. St. John's Prediction and Pick

Right off the bat, we have to address that the best player on either team will not be available tonight. Julian Champagnie not only leads St. John’s in scoring but also in rebounds.

He is out with COVID-19 related issues and will be sorely missed by his squad. He would have been a massive help to a team, that while putting together wins, has struggled mightily when trying to cover spreads.

In its last eight games, St. John’s has failed to cover in seven. This is likely due to the poor defense which the Red Storm has been playing. The Red Storm are 219th in the nation in scoring defense with an average of 71.7 points per game allowed. They are also a very below-average rebounding team with an average of 36.5 boards per game. It is a shame that their defense is so bad because they have a top 10 scoring offense on the other end of the court with an average of 82.6 points per game.  

While the Blue Demons also struggle a bit on defense at 121st in scoring, they are a more well-rounded team and can handle their own on offense. Additionally, they won't have to contend with Chamagnie on the court tonight. 

I am not sure what to make of St. John’s after 18 days off but I am confident they will continue to put up big numbers on offense. With both teams averaging such high numbers on offense, I think this game has a lot of signs pointing to the OVER. 

Pick: DePaul-St. John’s OVER 154.5