It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Arkansas-St John’s prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Arkansas-St John’s.
The St John’s Red Storm are developing a pattern. They dominate in second halves, but they also struggle in the first 10 to 15 minutes of a game. St John’s has been falling behind in a lot of first halves of late. The Red Storm fell behind in the first half to Marquette in the Big East Tournament semifinals. They were down 24-9 in that first half. They trailed Creighton 17-9 in the first half of the Big East Tournament championship game. They trailed the Omaha Mavericks 33-28 in the first half of Thursday’s first-round game. This is a fast-closing team, but it is also a slow-starting team, and we have to wonder if St John’s is going to continue this habit of starting slowly. The follow-up question is natural: Will the Johnnies get burned this time around?
Here are the Arkansas-St John’s College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
2025 March Madness Tournament Odds: Arkansas-St John’s Odds
Arkansas: +6.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +245
St John’s: -6.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -310
Over: 143.5 (-115)
Under: 143.5 (-105)
How to Watch Arkansas vs St John’s
Time: 2:40 p.m. ET/11:40 a.m. PT
TV: CBS
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Arkansas Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Razorbacks beat Bill Self and Kansas on Thursday. Self and Kansas have been extremely tough to beat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. When Arkansas defeated the Jayhawks on Thursday, it was the first time since 2006 — 19 years — that KU had lost in the Round of 64 in March Madness. That’s a real achievement. This team took a long time to come together under coach John Calipari, but it finally found the formula in February and has carried that winning recipe into March. Calipari struggled with this team, but he stayed patient and learned how everything can come together. This has been one of Calipari’s noted “rescue jobs,” in which he took a bad season and rescued it late in the process. The Hogs can now carry that process forward against a St John’s team which, as noted above, has started a lot of games very slowly and might finally get burned. If St John’s falls behind by 12 points in the first 15 minutes of this game, we feel confident that Arkansas can and will cover a 6.5-point spread. St John’s would have to outscore Arkansas by 19 points in the last 25 minutes to cover the spread. St John’s is embracing bad habits, and the Johnnies are about to pay a steep price in this coaching matchup between John Calipari and Rick Pitino.
Why St John’s Will Cover The Spread/Win
The St John’s defense has been awesome and overwhelming in second halves of games. St John’s has routinely outscored opponents by double-digit margins in the second halves of recent games. SJU did this against Marquette and Creighton in the Big East Tournament, and it did so against Omaha in the first round of March Madness on Thursday night. Rick Pitino’s halftime adjustments are elite, and this team’s level of energy over 40 full minutes is something opponents can’t match. Opponents can play this team even for 25 minutes, but not 40, and rarely 35. St John’s will eventually reel in Arkansas in this game, and if the Johnnies are merely tied at halftime, they are in great shape. SJU winning a second half by 10 points seems like normal business right now. As long as the Johnnies don’t dig themselves an early hole, they should win comfortably.
Final Arkansas-St John’s Prediction & Pick
We told you in the Omaha game that you should wait on St John’s. If SJU falls behind early, you can get the Johnnies at a better price point. We think you should stick to that plan. If Arkansas gets out to an early seven-point lead, you could get SJU -2.5 or 3.5. Try that approach again.
Final Arkansas-St John’s Prediction & Pick: St John’s -6.5
The post Arkansas vs St John’s prediction, odds, pick for Men’s March Madness 2025 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
