St. John’s is the toast of the town and the Big East champions have what oddsmakers suspect will be a cakewalk first-round matchup against Omaha.
The Johnnies walk into Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., as massive 19-point favorites, according to Fanatics.
It’s a big spread for Rick Pitino’s group to cover Thursday night, with tipoff expected to come around 9:45 p.m. ET.
Find out which side we’re backing in this pivotal matchup, and check out an exclusive Fanatics Sportsbook promo by clicking on the link.
Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users a $1,000 no sweat first bet sign-up bonus or a bet $30 and receive $300 in bonus bets promotion.
St. Johns vs. Omaha prediction
St. John’s is undoubtedly the better team here.
The question shouldn’t be whether they win, but instead by how much.
Sure, a No. 2 seed could lose to a No. 15 seed, but it’s only happened 11 times in March Madness history.
The Red Storm don’t profile as a team that is ripe for upsets, considering they play a hard-nosed physical style of hoops.
Omaha is a terrible defensive team.
KenPom rates the Mavericks as the second-worst defense (252nd in the nation) of the entire field.
They play better offensively than they do defensively, the opposite of the Johnnies, who are the No. 1 defensive team in the country, according to KenPom.
Those opposites contrast dramatically, as the Red Storm don’t typically play a strong brand of offense but will have a much easier time scoring Thursday than they will the rest of the tournament.
Betting on College Basketball?
They could even look like an offensive powerhouse in an easy matchup Thursday.
The line opened at 141.5, with it being bet up to 147.5 at the time of writing.
PICK: Over 147.5 (-115, Fanatics Sportsbook)
Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users a $1,000 no sweat first bet sign-up bonus, a bet $30 and receive $300 in bonus bets promotion or a 300% profit boost (New York), depending on the state you are located in at the time of signup.
Tale or fade the pick with this promo code by clicking the link above and following prompts.
New customers only, must be 21+ and physically present in New York. You must opt-in by toggling on the button for this Promotion in your bet slip and place a wager with a maximum stake of $50 and max pre-boosted odds +20000. Reward expires seven days from the date of issuance. See full Promo Terms in the Fanatics Sportsbook app.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
