The New Mexico Lobos take on the St. John's Red Storm in New York, NY, at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on FS1.
The Red Storm are favored by 8.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -360. The total is also set at 163.5 points.
Here’s my New Mexico vs. St. John's predictions and college basketball picks for November 17, 2024.
New Mexico vs St. John's Prediction
My Pick: St. John's -8.5
My New Mexico 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.
New Mexico vs St. John's Odds
| New Mexico Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -112 | 163.5 -108 / -112 | +285 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -108 | 163.5 -108 / -112 | -360 |
- New Mexico vs St. John's spread: St. John's -8.5
- New Mexico vs St. John's over/under: 163.5 points
- New Mexico vs St. John's moneyline: St. John's -360, New Mexico +285
- New Mexico vs St. John's best bet: St. John's -8.5
Spread
I'm targeting the Johnnies on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm staying away from the ML.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My Pick: St. John's -8.5
New Mexico vs St. John's College Basketball Betting Preview
This game has storylines galore.
- Rick Pitino faces off against his brother Richard for the fourth time in their careers.
- St. John's, which hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000, is ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since January 2019.
- Elite guard play goes head-to-head as New Mexico's Donovan Dent duels Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith and Simeon Wilcher.
Regardless of the storylines, these are two teams that have NCAA Tournament potential, and this game could go a long way for one school come March.
The Lobos already have a quality victory this season, as they beat UCLA in Nevada behind 17 points from Dent.
Meanwhile, this will be the Johnnies' first true test of the season, and it's also a massive test for the Big East, which has really struggled to start the new campaign.
I like the Johnnies in this spot, though. New Mexico is traveling across the country to play this game and St. John's has more depth and versatility than the Lobos.
While I mentioned Richmond, Smith and Wilcher, it's actually RJ Luis Jr. who is the Johnnies' leading scorer, and Richmond doesn't even crack the top five scorers on the roster. That's how deep St. John's is.
Also, St. John's is long, athletic and fast defensively. Could that create problems for Dent, who turned the ball over nine times vs. UCLA?
The Johnnies don't have an experienced frontcourt — especially after losing Joel Soriano — so that could be a problem against Nelly Junior Joseph. However, it's not as if the Johnnies are lacking size with Vince Iwuchukwu, Zuby Ejiofor and Ruben Prey.
And remember, playing Luis or Aaron Scott as a small-ball four opens up the court and creates mismatches that the Lobos may not be able to keep up with.
Give me the elder Pitino at what should be a rocking MSG.
