March Madness: Omaha vs. St. John's odds, picks and predictions
The Mavericks earned an automatic NCAA Tournament bid after beating the St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies 85-75 in the Summit League Championship March 9, covering as 4-point neutral-court underdogs with the Over (152.5) hitting. Omaha is on a 6-0 against-the-spread (ATS) run — twice as 'dogs — including covers in 3 consecutive conference tournament games. The Mavs are 23-9 ATS on the season, the fifth-best ATS record in Division-I, per Teamrankings.com. F Marquel Sutton leads Omaha in points (19.1 per game) and rebounds (8.0 per game).
The Red Storm, No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, beat the Creighton Bluejays 82-66 in the Big East Championship Saturday at Madison Square Garden. G RJ Luis Jr. scored 27 of his 29 points in the second-half, helping St. John's cover as 6.5-point favorites with the Over (143.5) cashing. The Red Storm have ripped off 9 straight wins — including 3 in the Big East Tourney — closing as favorites in each and covering in 6 of those. St. John's, 22-11-1 ATS on the season, is deep with 6 players averaging at least 8 points per game.
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Omaha 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 at 12:51 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : Omaha +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200) | St. John's -3000 (bet $3,000 to win $100)
: Omaha +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200) | St. John's -3000 (bet $3,000 to win $100) Against the spread : Omaha +18.5 (-110) | St. John's -18.5 (-110)
: Omaha +18.5 (-110) | St. John's -18.5 (-110) Over/Under (O/U): 148.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Omaha vs. St. John's picks and predictions
Prediction
St. John's 84, Omaha 62
PASS.
There's no playable wager here. St. John's (-3000) should win with ease but is far too expensive to play.
BET ST. JOHN'S -18.5 (-110).
The Red Storm are 8-6 ATS the 14 times they've been double-digit favorites this season. They have been on fire offensively, scoring 78 or more points in 4 straight games, so they should have the capability of pulling away and covering this number.
The Mavericks only played one ranked team this season, and that was an 83-51 road loss to the Iowa State Cyclones Dec. 15. While the Mavs covered as 35.5-point underdogs, they'll be seeing a significantly tighter spread here. They are 0-2 ATS the last 2 times they were 'dogs of 7 or more points.
BACK ST. JOHN'S -18.5 (-110).
BET UNDER 148.5 (-115).
While St. John's has been efficient offensively, it has thrived defensively. The Red Storm have held opponents to 66 or fewer points in 4 of their last 5 and they are 15-18-1 O/U on the season. The Under is also 10-5 in their neutral and road games this season, including 6-2 in their last 8 on the road. So, they defend well away from home.
Omaha has gone Under in 3 of its last 6 games and has defended well too, holding its opponent to 61 or fewer in 2 of those. It is 1-2 O/U in games in which it has been an underdog of 15 or more.
Considering the trends, BACK UNDER 148.5 (-115).
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