The Kansas State Wildcats take on the St. John's Red Storm in Queens, NY. Tip-off is set for 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX.
St. Johns is favored by 9.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -480. The total is set at 148.5 points.
Here’s my Kansas State vs. St. John's predictions and college basketball picks for December 7, 2024.
Kansas State vs St. John's Prediction
My Pick: St John's -9.5 (Play to -11.5)
My Kansas State vs St. John's best bet is on the Red Storm spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Kansas State vs St. John's Odds, Lines, Pick
| Kansas State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 148.5 -110o / -110u | +450 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 148.5 -110o / -110u | -600 |
- Kansas State vs St. John's spread: St. John's -10.5
- Kansas State vs St. John's over/under: 148.5 points
- Kansas State vs St. John's moneyline: St. John's -600, Kansas State +450
- Kansas State vs St. John's best bet: St. John's -10 (Play to -11.5)
My Kansas State vs St. John's College Basketball Betting Preview
Kansas State Basketball
The Kansas State Wildcats poured a bunch of NIL money into their roster, and it hasn't paid off, to put it kindly. The Wildcats are 6-2 and lost both games against opponents ranked inside KenPom's top 140 (Liberty, LSU).
Are brighter days in Manhattan on the horizon? Perhaps, but it won't happen in Queens.
The Wildcats' perimeter shooting has been the brightest spot for this team this season. They shoot 38% from 3 (40th nationally) and have a 57% effective field goal percentage (25th nationally).
Jerome Tang targeted a pair of shooters — Max Jones and Brendan Hausen in the portal, and it's paid off handsomely. The two import shooters are connecting on more than 40% of their shots from 3. The areas where Kansas State suffered last year are now strengths.
However, improving the shooting came at the expense of downgrading on the defensive end.
Tang has the worst defensive team he's had in three years at K-State, ranking 65th in defensive efficiency. That's still not terrible; it could be worse. But it's a far cry from the top 30 ranking the previous two seasons.
Did anyone really picture David N'Guessan as K-State's leading scorer? I sure didn't. I'm sure most envisioned Coleman Hawkins or Dug McDaniel leading Kansas State in scoring, while Hawkins is fifth in scoring and McDaniel is third. There's no question about the value N'Guessan provides, but St. John's starting center Zuby Ejiofor might pose problems.
The one aspect I'm curious about is McDaniel's ability to orchestrate winning. He started last year for a bad Michigan team, so we haven't seen the speedy 5'11 guard contribute to winning. I'm not saying McDaniel isn't that guy, but it's a question he's yet to answer.
Maybe the expectations were too high, but McDaniel shows flashes of brilliance and then turns the ball over five times in a loss. He won't be Markquis Nowell, but as long as McDaniel can limit turnovers and set up the shooters, it'll be a plus for the Wildcats.
St. John's Basketball
Rick Pitino complained about St. John's lousy defense last year, and he responded by adding pieces to form one of the top defensive teams in America. The Johnnies often look to full-court pressure and turn defense into offense, ranking 46th nationally with a 21% turnover rate.
St. John's is flat-out dominant in two pivotal defensive areas — forcing turnovers and limiting two-point field goals. Opponents shoot just 43% on 2s, which is good for 22nd nationally. The only thing holding St. John's back from being a top-10 defensive team is defending beyond the arc. I anticipate the number evening out, as Baylor's 15-for-29 shooting performance has inflated opponents' shooting against the Red Storm.
Even in St. John's two losses to Baylor and Georgia, forcing turnover was a strength. The Red Storm forced Baylor into 15 turnovers and Georgia into 24, which leads to wins more often than not.
Of course, it's Pitino — one of the elite coaches in the sport for a reason. He's turned things around this year due to his elite defense.
Shooting is a major concern for St. John's, as the Red Storm shoot 33% from 3, but they might improve with Deivon Smith seemingly falling out of favor.
On paper, adding a pair of elite point guards transfer in Kadary Richmond and Smith seemed like a brilliant idea. Instead, it exposed weaknesses in St. John's offense — Richmond is a ball-dominant guard who has little impact off the ball, and the same goes for Smith — and neither can shoot.
Richmond is probably the better player. He almost carried Seton Hall to the NCAA Tourney last year and had 18 points without Smith in his last game. I wholeheartedly believe St. John's is better if Richmond can post up, read ball screens and dish to help find open looks for teammates.
I've yet to mention RJ Luis Jr., the Red Storm's best player, who's developed into one of the best two-way players in America. Luis leads St. John's with 17.6 ppg and 6.8 RPG while adding 1.6 steals per contest.
Luis is the perfect fit for a Pitino-coached team, with his length and athleticism causing defensive havoc.
Kansas State vs. St. John's Betting Analysis
It's almost more Kansas State-related than St. John's. Although, I do like this St. John's team quite a bit. This matchup just feels like a disaster for Kansas State, who's too loose with the ball to hang with the Red Storm.
I don't see the Wildcats having enough cohesion to figure out the proper way to dissect this plucky Red Storm defense.
