
Marquette vs. St. John's odds, picks and predictions
The No. 23 Marquette Golden Eagles (23-9) and the No. 5 St. John's Red Storm (28-4) meet Friday in a Big East Tournament semifinal game at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's college basketball odds around the Marquette vs. St. John's odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The No. 5 seed Golden Eagles dispatched fourth-seeded Xavier Thursday in a tight 89-87 win as G Kam Jones scored a team-high 28 points to go along with 5 assists. G's Stevie Mitchell and Chase Ross chipped in with 16 points apiece. Marquette came up short as a 2.5-point favorite with the Over (145) easily hitting.
The win snapped a 2-game skid, which included an 86-84 OT loss in Milwaukee to St. John's in the regular-season finale Saturday. The Golden Eagles misfired as 4.5-point favorites with the Over (146.5) cashing. In fact, despite the win vs. Xavier, Marquette is 5-6 straight up (SU) and an even-worse 3-8 against the spread (ATS) in the past 11 games — the span includes 2 losses to St. John's.
The top-seeded Red Storm easily brushed past ninth-seeded Butler 78-57 as 12-point favorites in their Thursday semifinal with the Under (145.5) coming through. G RJ Luis Jr. had a game-best 20 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, with 7 rebounds, a block and a steal.
St. John's enters on a 7-game win streak and are 5-1 ATS in the past 6, while the Under is 3-1 in the past 4.
The other Big East semi features No. 2 seed Creighton (23-9) and No. 3 seed and 2-time defending NCAA Tourney champ UConn (23-9).
– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll
THE BRACKETS ARE BACK! The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back! $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket, $25,000 prize for top bracket. Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!
Marquette 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 2:34 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : Marquette +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | St. John's -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
: Marquette +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | St. John's -200 (bet $200 to win $100) Against the spread : Marquette +4.5 (-110) | St. John's -4.5 (-110)
: Marquette +4.5 (-110) | St. John's -4.5 (-110) Over/Under (O/U): 143.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Marquette vs. St. John's picks and predictions
Prediction
St. John's 77, Marquette 69
St. John's (-200) will set you back 2 times your potential return. That's quite a bit of risk for not nearly enough reward … at least straight up. However, if you want to toss this into a multi-leg parlay, that would be perfectly acceptable.
PASS.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
ST. JOHN'S -4.5 (-110) is worth playing. The Johnnies not only swept the regular-season series against the Golden Eagles, but they covered each of the outings as well.
The old adage about how it's tough to beat a team 3 times in the same season might give bettors pause. However, Marquette has also failed to cover 3 in a row and, as mentioned, is just 3-8 ATS in the past 11 games. St. John's is just playing better, and should give bettors the most confidence in covering.
OVER 143.5 (-115) is the lean, but only go with a half-unit play at most.
The Under (147) cashed in the 70-64 regulation win by St. John's over Marquette in NYC Feb. 4, while Saturday's tilt went Over in Milwaukee — it hit in regulation but barely as it was tied 75-all after 40 minutes.
The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 games for the Johnnies, while holding a 10-5 edge in the past 15 games.
The Under has a slight 3-2 edge in the past 5 games for the Golden Eagles, while going 9-6 in the past 15 outings.
Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now!
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / College Sports Wire / High School / Recruiting
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
15 hours ago
- USA Today
New Jersey duo hoping to make impact at U.S. Open in neighboring Pennsylvania
New Jersey duo hoping to make impact at U.S. Open in neighboring Pennsylvania There are 156 golfers in this week's U.S. Open, but only two of them understand the beauty of the Navesink River and the aggravation of Route 35 traffic. A pair of New Jersey lifers. Chris Gotterup hails from Little Silver and attended Christian Brothers Academy. Ryan McCormick was raised in Middletown and went to Mater Dei High School. They aren't the sole New Jerseyans in the field this week at Oakmont Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburbs, but they are the only ones who didn't split at the first opportunity. Gotterup earned All-America honors at Rutgers, while McCormick became the Big East individual champion at St. John's. 'I know he takes great pride in that, and I take great pride in it,' Gotterup said of their local bona fides. 'There are good players who grow up in Jersey and go away to college. We're two of the only guys who have toughed it out and climbed through the ranks in a place where you wouldn't think you could do it.' Gotterup, 25, is making his second appearance at the U.S. Open after also qualifying in 2022. This is the first U.S. Open for McCormick, 33. More: 'It better not be easier when you're done': 5 things I learned from Gil Hanse on Oakmont 'It speaks to how quality the golf is in New Jersey and especially in Monmouth County,' McCormick said. 'It's awesome that we're both out here playing still.' Oakmont is an iconic venue, one of the most demanding in the country. When they tee off Thursday, however, don't expect guys who have played through tough conditions for much of their lives to be intimidated. 'I like to describe myself as someone who is gritty, and I know Ryan would say the same thing,' Gotterup said. 'That's just part of our New Jersey roots.' More: What would an 18 handicap shoot at Oakmont? Pros weigh in, and their answers are hilarious Chris Gotterup: 'Still earning my place' Golf is a funny game. In 2024, Gotterup was in good position to qualify for the U.S. Open, but he three-putted the final hole and missed the cutoff by one stroke. This year, at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, he rallied with a six-under final round to punch a ticket. 'It was looking like for a long time that I wasn't going to be here,' he said. 'I turned on the jets at the end, and it ended up being enough.' He'll need those jets at Oakmont, where he's grouped with Joakim Langergren and Mason Howell. They tee off at 8:46 a.m. Thursday and 2:31 p.m. Friday. 'In a perfect world, you'd be out here for two straight weeks trying to learn every little nuance that you could,' Gotterup said after a couple of practice rounds on the course. 'There are some holes where it breaks your brain; if you're in the rough and you hit it 40 yards short of the green, it's going to get there. It's a mental challenge more than anything.' It doesn't hurt that he won a PGA Tour event last year, shooting 22 under par at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina. 'That honestly feels like a long time ago,' Gotterup said. 'I feel like I'm still earning my place out here.' He's done that since graduating CBA. At Rutgers, he developed from an average college golfer into a star, and as a postgraduate at the University of Oklahoma he won the Fred Haskins Award as the most outstanding Division I golfer in 2022. At a time when the professionalization of college football and basketball is casting a cloud over the future of other intercollegiate sports, Gotterup can attest to the virtues of his time on campus. 'There were so many stepping stones for me that, even if I was good enough at Rutgers to turn pro, I would not be in the same position I am now,' he said. 'I needed those years of getting the crap beat out of me and coach yelling at me and teachers telling me, that I wasn't trying hard enough in school. There are all these pieces that built up to get my feet underneath me to the point where I can finally kick some (butt).' His biggest piece of advice for the current crop of high school golf standouts? 'Go somewhere where you're going to be comfortable and you're going to play -- for me, that was Rutgers,' he said. 'And it's important to not get burnt out. Do other stuff, play basketball. You don't need to act like a tour pro at 17.' Ryan McCormick: 'You're in the right spot' It's been a roller-coaster couple of years for McCormick, who lives in Florida now but spends his summers in Jersey. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2023 but took his lumps. 'It was difficult and I learned a lot and I got my butt kicked – and I played well a few weeks out of the year,' he said of the PGA Tour. 'But in our business, there is really no long-term security unless you win.' He ended up on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. 'Every time you advance in anything, but especially in golf, you play against better competition and better courses, you find out about yourself and how good your game is really, and what you need to do to get better,' he said. 'As frustrating as last year was, I learned a lot, and I'm a lot better for it now. I'm probably the best version of myself with my golf game that I've been in my life.' It all came together June 2, when McCormick punched his ticket to Oakmont by winning his U.S. Open qualifier by a whopping five strokes. McCormick is a huge Seton Hall basketball fan – his family has owned season tickets since the 1990s – and he drew an analogy that hardwood aficionados will appreciate. 'It was like Darius Lane or Jeremy Hazell,' he said, referencing former Pirate sharpshooters. 'When they get hot, you just keep feeding them. I hit it really well.' In Oakmont, he's grouped with Trevor Cone and amateur Zachary Pollo. Their tee times are 2:20 Thursday and 8:35 a.m. Friday. 'I've been trying to qualify for the U.S. Open since I was 15,' McCormick said. 'I've always watched every day. It's my favorite golf event.' Part of his typical pre-event preparation is playing a video-game version of the course on PGA Tour 2K. Anything to gain a little extra insight. 'I always try to do my research on the golf course that I'm playing,' McCormick said. 'I've been spending time looking at the past US Opens there, watching the final rounds of the last three of them. You never know what you might pick up on that might help you out there. 'I know they've changed the course, But as far as venues go, this is probably one of the top U.S. Opens you'd want play – you think of Winged Foot, Pebble Beach and Oakmont. So to qualify in a year when it's at such a historic venue is exciting.' If he does something notable this week, you may see replays of a strange clip from April, when he played a round in Georgia with tape over his mouth to control frustrated outbursts. 'It really went all over the world through all different types of news outlets,' McCormick said. 'It was an unbelievable thing that I had no idea was going to get so much attention.' McCormick said the idea was to enhance his focus. 'I've never been afraid to try anything that will help me,' he said. 'It was an exercise that I had in an old book of mine – go play with earplugs in, go play without talking, go hit some shots with a blindfold. Eliminating the senses. I took that to the extreme obviously. The feedback was out of control. But the golfers really understood, and I'm glad for the most part people found it funny.' McCormick's U.S. Open debut marks a full-circle moment for his family. His father Mark McCormick, the longtime head pro at Suburban Golf Club in Union, qualified at age 49 in 2012. It's in the blood, for sure. 'When we moved to Middletown, my dad put this small green in the backyard,' Ryan said. 'My brother (also named Mark) would sometimes practice with me and make up leaderboards for all four majors. I remember us doing the 'U.S. Open' a lot. Now I'll be on the real leaderboard and he won't have to create a fake leaderboard for me to compete on.' Dream big. That's Ryan McCormick's advice anyone growing up in the Garden State who might have a future in golf. 'I always believed in myself, but there were plenty of times as a junior and even in high school when I got my butt kicked, and I just kept working,' he said. 'Just know that between Chris and I and Max Greyserman (a Short Hills native who also qualified), it shows that if your dreams are to play on the PGA Tour, you're in the right spot. Just keep working on it.' Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@


New York Post
19 hours ago
- New York Post
Thunder vs. Pacers Game 3 pick: 2025 NBA Finals player props, predictions
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. The NBA Finals heads to Indiana for Game 3 and what should be a raucous crowd. The Pacers have demonstrated they are a tough team and won't bow down to the heavily favored Thunder. Indy is a 5.5-point home underdog with a total of 228.5. Personally, I think it is a tough handicap as I expect the Pacers to respond to a convincing loss and OKC tends to be a mixed bag on the road. I am unsure which version we will get. However, I do think the proposition betting market offers a few good opportunities. Chet Holmgren has cashed the Under for his rebounds prop in seven straight games, dating back to the Western Conference finals, and I was close to going back to the well again for Game 3. However, OKC has adjusted its starting lineup in this series and I am a bit reluctant. Isaiah Hartenstein normally starts but has been relegated to a bench role so far against Indiana. Nonetheless, he has cashed the Over for his rebounding prop in both games and I was close to making that another play. Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) comes back up court against the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter of game two of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Then again, the game script does not necessarily favor OKC and his reduced minutes give me pause. Thus, I am holding my powder. But I do think we have value with Hartenstein's points. His prop sits at 7.5 and the Under feels like a strong play. He scored nine points in the opener and then three points in Game 2. In my eyes, the Game 1 output was a total outlier. Betting on the NBA? Hartenstein's natural behavior is to set perimeter screens or feed teammates with his strong passing ability. And sometimes he combines those two actions with a handoff to a curling teammate, as he sets a screen around the 3-point line. This is not a guy who looks much for his shot unless the shot clock is winding down or he has putback opportunities. I have a 49-40-1 ATS record in this Post sports section. My next play is Hartenstein Under 7.5 points (-110, FanDuel Sportsbook) in Game 3. Why Trust New York Post Betting Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He's also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.


USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Wisconsin women's basketball to renew in-state rivalry this fall
Wisconsin women's basketball to renew in-state rivalry this fall The Wisconsin women's basketball program will renew its I-94 rivalry with Marquette as part of a home-and-home series beginning on Nov. 8, 2025. UW will travel east to Milwaukee for the first leg of the series, then welcome the Golden Eagles to the Kohl Center in 2026. The two squads last squared off in 2017. The Golden Eagles own a 6-5 mark against the Badgers since the 2001-02 season. Wisconsin's Nov. 8 contest against the in-state rival also marks the first game the Badgers' program has announced under new head coach Robin Pingeton, who took over following former head coach Marisa Moseley's resignation earlier this year. The Badgers, who went 13-17 during the 2024-25 slate, will open the 2025-26 campaign with an entirely new roster. Former Wisconsin star Serah Williams and starting center Carter McCray transferred following the season's end, prompting Pingeton to look for talent in the portal. The former Missouri coach responded with seven transfer commitments. Those include Croatian center Dorja Zaja, Illinois forward Shay Bollin, Stony Brook guard Breauna Ware, Howard guard Destiny Howell, NC State guard Laci Steele, Southern Illinois forward Gift Uchenna and Missouri State guard Kyrah Daniels. The Badgers also signed class of 2025 standout Nikki Kerstein in April, bolstering the program's backcourt depth. While both Williams and McCray departed, starting guard Ronnie Porter returns for her fourth season in Madison as the Badgers' leading veteran presence. She, alongside new acquisitions Uchenna and Howell, projects to spearhead Wisconsin's offensive attack this coming season. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion