The Omaha Mavericks take on the St. John's Red Storm in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is set for 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS.
St. John's is favored by 18.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -3500. The total is set at 149.5 points.
Here are my Omaha vs. St. John's predictions and college basketball picks for March 20, 2025.
Omaha vs St. John's Prediction
My Pick: Omaha Team Total Under 64.5 (Play to 64)
My Omaha vs St. John's best bet is on the Mavericks to go under their team total, 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.
Omaha vs St. John's Odds, Lines
| Omaha Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+18.5 -110 | 149.5 -110o / -110u | +1500 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-18.5 -110 | 149.5 -110o / -110u | -3500 |
- Omaha vs St. John's spread: St. John's -18.5
- Omaha vs St. John's over/under: 149.5 points
- Omaha vs St. John's moneyline: St. John's -3500, Omaha +1500
- Omaha vs St. John's best bet: Omaha Team Total Under 64.5 (Play to 64)
My Omaha vs St. John's NCAAB Betting Preview
The Omaha Mavericks had a wild season out of the Summit League and entered the NCAA Tournament on a six-game winning streak. The proud people of Omaha are shipping their trash cans to the East Coast, as they'll take on the 2-seed St. John's Red Storm.
The Johnnies have had a sensational season under Rick Pitino and are massive 18.5-point favorites over the Mavericks. It's been an excellent year for Omaha, but it has run into a buzzsaw here.
From a betting perspective, I don't want anything to do with the spread. The Johnnies tend to start slow in most contests, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Mavericks cover the number even if the Johnnies turn on the jets in the second half.
There's much to like about the Omaha offense, like the fact that it shot 41% from 3-point range during Summit League play despite being eighth in attempts.
But it hasn't faced a superior defense like the Red Storm all season, and serious regression could be looming.
If the Mavericks go ice-cold from deep, it will be nearly impossible to score against the Johnnies' strong interior defense. The Red Storm ranked 11th in opponent 2-point percentage and enter the tourney as the nation's No. 1 team in adjusted defensive efficiency.
St. John's will grind this game to a halt, considering the Mavericks' lone strength comes from the offensive end of the floor. If the tempo slows as I expect, it's an incredible opportunity to sell the Mavericks offense.
KenPom projects the Mavericks team total at 64, which aligns with most shops' markets. I was happy to snag under 64.5 at BetMGM earlier this week, so I'd advise grabbing that now.
I have too many questions about the Johnnies' ability to start fast and shake off some flat play early. They're coming off their first Big East Tournament Championship since 2000, so I wouldn't be shocked if their offense was a bit sleepy early.
But I don't doubt that the Red Storm are the best defense in the nation and should dominate on the glass. The Mavericks are a poor offensive-rebounding team, so there will be limited second-chance scoring opportunities.
The Johnnies force a ton of turnovers and are extremely disciplined on the defensive side, so I doubt we see many free-throw attempts from the Mavericks throughout the contest.
Considering the Red Storm will be swarming throughout the contest, the Mavericks' magical run ends here.
Their offense was impressive during the regular season, but this is a massive step up in competition, and it doesn't help that they have serious shooting regression looming.
