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No matter how good of a team you are, heading to Madison Square Garden can always get the best of you. The Villanova Wildcats are still sporting a Top 10 record, but they've had their problems under the bright lights at MSG and could once again find themselves in a bit of trouble on the road against the St. John's Red Storm on Sunday afternoon.
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SCHEDULING
The Red Storm were crushed on Wednesday night by Seton Hall, but that gives them a few days off in a row to get ready for this one. However, the Johnnies certainly don't have the better slate here. Sure, Villanova was thrown off just a bit by the snowstorm in the northeast which postponed its game against Providence for a day, but regardless, the team still has a full week off to prep for this Sunday's game at St. John's.
KEY MATCHUP
We often take a look at the Villanova backcourt, but in this case, we're going to take a look at Daniel Ochefu and his role as a reserve now for Jay Wright. Ochefu is a hit and miss type of player. He had 20 points and 18 boards against Seton Hall in a big win on January 6, but he's had three games in which he had six points or fewer and five rebounds or fewer as well.
Ochefu is the type of man who could have a field day in this one, though. The Red Storm aren't great at rebounding the ball, and they don't really have the size to deal with him in the low block. More important though, is the quantity of opportunities he should have of cleaning up the defensive glass. St. John's loves to run, but it has a poor shooting team. Second chance points are going to be crucial for the Red Storm's success in live betting, and that's where Ochefu really comes into play. If there aren't many second chance opportunities, it's going to be really tough for St. John's to score against one of the better defensive teams in America.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
The raw percentages for St. John's are mind-bogglingly bad. The team ranks No. 329 in the land in field goal percentage at 39.7 percent. In a relative story, the Red Storm average just 67.0 points per game, and though they've had some good games in conference play this year, they still haven't topped 75 in a game since December 13.
That December 13 date is notable because it's also the last time the Red Storm won a game. Since that point, they’re 0-11 SU and just 3-8 ATS, and in that mix, they were beaten by New Jersey Tech and Incarnate Word, amongst other teams.
There's certainly some concern right now over Villanova. NCAAB live bettors can't like this 0-4 ATS streak the team is on, and the fact that it only merely escaped games against Seton Hall and Georgetown on the road recently has to be tough to swallow.
The Red Storm are streaky shooters for sure, and when they get going, they can really knock the lights out, especially here a MSG. The Wildcats have been sloppy on defense in this ATS skid, particularly against Providence, and that absolutely must improve if they're going to close out this game and beat the live betting numbers in the second half.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The showdown between the Villanova Wildcats and St. John's Red Storm will start at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 31, 2016, at Madison Square Garden. The contest will be broadcast on FOX.
