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The No. 10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (21-13) meet the No. 2 seed St. John’s Red Storm (31-4) for a second-round battle in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region. Tip-off from Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, is set for 2:40 p.m. ET (CBS). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Arkansas vs. St. John’s odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Razorbacks, who were eliminated from the SEC Tournament with an 83-80 second-round loss to Ole Miss March 13, upset the West Region’s No. 7 seed, Kansas, 79-72 as 5-point underdogs Thursday. Arkansas was led by F Jonas Aidoo, who dropped 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting. The team dominated on the defensive end, forcing 16 Kansas turnovers in the win. The Razorbacks are 2-0-1 against the spread (ATS) in postseason play and 15-17-2 ATS on the season.
The Red Storm ran the table in the Big East Tournament, defeating the Creighton Bluejays 82-66 in the final March 15 and covering as 6.5-point favorites. They throttled the Omaha Mavericks 83-53 in their first-round game Thursday, closing as 19-point favorites. St. John’s held just a 5-point halftime lead before dominating the Mavericks 50-25 in the second half. The team was led by G RJ Luis, who nailed 5 triples and finished with 22 points. The Red Storm are 22-12-1 ATS on the season and 4-0 ATS in the postseason.
St. John’s is No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
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Arkansas vs. St. John’s odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 9:18 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Arkansas +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | St. John’s -300 (bet $300 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Arkansas +7.5 (-118) | St. John’s -7.5 (-102)
- Over/Under (O/U): 144.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Arkansas vs. St. John’s picks and predictions
Prediction
St. John’s 80, Arkansas 70
Moneyline
PASS.
The Red Storm (-300) are the more consistent and efficient team and should come out on top. However, they are too expensive to bet on outright.
Against the spread
BET ST. JOHN’S -7.5 (-102).
St. John’s has been on a tear, winning all 4 postseason games by double figures. Before its first-round matchup, it faced 2 NCAA Tournament teams in the Big East Tournament, defeating the Marquette Golden Eagles by 16 and the Creighton Bluejays by 16. The Red Storm covered in both of those games and in 7 of their last 9.
The Razorbacks struggled against Ole Miss, a No. 6 seed in the tournament, in their final SEC Tournament game. They have battled inconsistency all season, with 3 of their top 4 scorers shooting 41% or worse from the field. Arkansas is just 3-3-1 ATS in neutral-court games this season.
Take ST. JOHN’S -7.5 (-102).
Over/Under
BET OVER 144.5 (-115).
The Razorbacks have hit the Over in 5 straight games, scoring at least 72 in each and at least 79 in 4 of them.
St. John’s is just 2-3 O/U in its last 5 games, but not due to a lack of scoring. The team has tallied at least 78 points in all 5 and at least 82 in 3 of them. Considering those trends, back the OVER 144.5 (-115).
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