The St. John's Red Storm take on the Butler Bulldogs in Indianapolis, IN. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
St. John's is favored by 7.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -305. The total is set at 149.5 points.
Here’s my St. John's vs. Butler predictions and college basketball picks for February 26, 2025.
St. John's vs Butler Prediction
My Pick: Butler +7.5 (Play to +7)
My St. John's vs Butler best bet is on the Bulldogs spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
St. John's vs Butler Odds
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -105 | 149.5 -105o / -115u | -305 |
| Butler Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -115 | 149.5 -105o / -115u | +245 |
- St. John's vs Butler spread: St. John's -7.5
- St. John's vs Butler over/under: 149.5 points
- St. John's vs Butler moneyline: St. John's -305, Butler +245
- St. John's vs Butler best bet: Butler +7.5 (Play to +7)
Spread
I'm taking the Bulldogs down to +7, as I like the spot at home.
Moneyline
I'm not taking anything on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
My Pick: Butler +7.5 (Play to +7)
St. John's vs Butler College Basketball Betting Preview
Even though a victory over Butler will clinch a share of the Big East regular season title, this is a bit of a letdown spot for the Johnnies after their big win over UConn.
The main reason I like this, though, is Butler is the best defensive rebounding team in the conference. The Bulldogs don't turn it over too much — although they did give the ball away 21 times in the first meeting against the Red Storm — and they've been good against the press.
The Johnnies went 1-of-21 from 3 in that first clash this season, but they also went an uncharacteristic 17-of-23 from the line and Butler went 9-of-20.
Butler actually led that game in the second half at St. John's.
Butler can space out the Johnnies, as it moves the ball and is a good shooting team. The Bulldogs are shooting 38% from 3 at home this year, making it an elite catch-and-shoot offense that doesn't rely on getting to the rim.
They'll slow it up on offense, too — similar to how Villanova operates.
And if you look at the teams that have given St. John's issues in conference play, they're squads that can defensive rebound, and Butler is the best in the Big East in that department.
I think it's a pretty good spot for Butler, and it's not a terrible matchup. I don't think St. John's is going to go 1-of-21 from 3 again, but it's also shot over 40% in its past two games — thus, I wouldn't be shocked if the Red Storm had an awful shooting night.
If you can keep St. John's off the offensive glass, it's going to go through scoring droughts. That's exactly what Butler is capable of doing.
Finally, RJ Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond are dealing with injury issues. They're both going to play, but they may not be 100%, and who knows if Rick Pitino decides to restrict their minutes a bit before the Big East Tournament.
