The Creighton Bluejays will take on the St. John’s Red Storm in Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening with hopes of securing the No. 1 spot in the Big East standings. The Red Storm currently hold the top spot, but with a loss, the Bluejays would surpass them.
This is their second matchup of the season after Creighton managed a one-point victory over St. John’s on December 31 at home. Can Ryan Kalkbrenner and Co. pull off a season sweep, or will R.J. Luis Jr. head a St. John’s win on their home court, further distancing themselves as the No. 1 team in the Big East?
Find out below as we make a prediction and break down the spread, total, and money line bets.
Creighton vs. St. John’s Betting Preview
All Creighton vs. St. John’s odds are from Fanduel Sportsbook and are correct as of Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.
- Spread
St. John’s -5.5 - CSN Spread
Pick’em - Moneyline
St. John’s -250, Creighton +202 - Over/Under
142.5 points - Game Time
Sunday, Feb. 16, 3:00 p.m. ET - Location
Madison Square Garden | New York, NY - How To Watch
FS1
Creighton enters this game with an 18-7 overall and 11-3 Big East record, good for second place in the conference and a No. 24 ranking in the country. They’re excellent ATS this season, covering 15 of 25 games. In conference, they’ve been even better with an 11-2-1 record ATS. The Bluejays had covered ten games in a row before losing in their last outing.
A good defensive team and solid offensive team, Creighton’s over/under track record reflects that. Only 10 of 25 matchups have gone over, including six of 14 in Big East play. The under has been the successful play in six of their past eight games.
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St. John’s is ranked No. 9 nationally due to a 21-4 overall record, including 12-2 in conference play, slotting them in the top spot in the Big East. Similar to Creighton, they’ve done well ATS this season. A 15-9-1 overall and 8-5-1 conference ATS represent a viable cover bet in most games. They’ve also covered seven of their last 10 matchups.
Once again, similar to the Bluejays, the Red Storm have a propensity for going under the listed point total. Only 11 of their 25 games have gone over — including only four of 14 in conference games. The under has been the successful bet in four of their last five outings.
Creighton vs. St. John’s CSN Power Rankings Line
Our metrics point towards this game being a pick’em line, rather than St. John’s being favored by -5.5 at home. Our power rankings are high on the Bluejays — not so for the Red Storm, resulting in it being a pick’em.
According to that, the advantage lies on Creighton’s side of the line.
Preview for Creighton vs. St. John’s
Both teams enter this game coming off close losses and will be looking to get back in the win column. But this game holds a bit more weight than that.
Whoever wins this game will be in first place in the conference; the Red Storm would create a two-game lead at the top while the Bluejays will technically tie for the conference lead but would hold the tiebreaker.
The Bluejays took the last game between these two off the back of a 16-point, nine-rebound performance by seven-foot-one center and Preseason Big East Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner. He averages 19.0 ppg (third-best in the conference) and 8.5 rpg (best in the conference).
Senior point guard Steven Ashworth feeds him extremely well down low, to the tune of a conference-leading 6.8 apg along with pouring in 16.7 ppg. Senior guard Jamiya Neal is another steady presence on the perimeter, scoring nearly 11 ppg and grabbing 5.8 rpg.
The Red Storm are led by the scoring of guard R.J. Luis Jr., who was named to the Naismith Player of the Year Midseason Team. He puts in 17.4 ppg while grabbing 6.9 rpg. Behind him, six-foot-nine forward Zuby Ejiofor provides the muscle down low — his 8.0 rpg leads the team along with adding 13.7 ppg.
Senior point guard Kadary Richmond, who stands 6-foot-6, has been a game-changer for this team as of late. He conducts the offense, averaging a team-leading 5.2 apg while scoring 15.6 ppg over his last eight outings and snagging 5.6 rpg.
This game should be much like their last matchup: low-scoring, extremely hard-fought, and played right to the very end.
Best Bets and Final Score Prediction
Considering the way I expect this game to be played, the under of 142.5 is an extremely solid bet — these teams only reached 113 points on December 31. Although both have improved greatly, hitting their stride as they’ve progressed through conference play, it’s a Big East game with much on the line.
Many classic Big East matchups are low scoring while coming down to the final possessions. For that reason, we’ll take Creighton +5.5.
Although there is plus-value for taking the Bluejays’ money line bet, I’d err on the side of caution with this one. This game, almost assuredly, will be close — but it will be difficult for Creighton to win outright at MSG.
There are two player prop bets that I like for this matchup.
The first is Kalkbrenner to score 20-plus points for +110. He’s scored 13 and 19 points in his last two outings on nine field goal attempts each. That will change in this one — against the smaller Ejiofor, I expect Ashworth to be busy feeding the big man down low. He should go over the 20-point mark.
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St. John’s guard Richmond to score 15+ points is at +108, which he’s gone over in three of the last four games. At 6-foot-6, he’ll have a height advantage over whomever Creighton puts on him — and he’ll capitalize on those opportunities, going over the 15-point mark.
It’s extremely tough to pick a winner in this one. It will be tight, and it will be hotly contested. We’ll give it to the Red Storm, who will enjoy the comforts of their home floor at MSG — but not without having to make some big plays in the clutch to hold off the Bluejays.
Picks: Under 142.5 points, Creighton +5.5, Ryan Kalkbrenner 20+ points, Kadary Richmond 15+ points
Prediction: St John’s 67, Creighton 64
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