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After having its 22-game Big East winning streak snapped by Providence last Sunday, Villanova saw its lead in the conference shrink. The No. 6 Wildcats look to start a new run of victories while extending St. John’s losing streak when the two hook up in the Garden.
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HOW THE VILLANOVA WILDCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Villanova had its 22-game Big East win streak snapped last time out, losing at home as a double-digit favorite to Providence, and some could argue that a loss was imminent. First of all, the Wildcats were bound to lose at some point. Secondly, they barely escaped their two previous games, edging Georgetown and Seton Hall on the road.
Though the Wildcats dropped that game to a good Providence team in overtime, they have been good in the close games this season, with three of their seven wins coming by five points or less. And that’s a lesson scoring leader Josh Hart says doesn’t go overlooked. “We need games like that down the stretch,” he said.
And it’s Hart who will lead the Wildcats. His combination of size, speed, playmaking ability and defensive prowess is unmatched in the league and arguably in all of college basketball. Hart is having the best season of his career, for the best team in the Big East.
HOW THE ST. JOHN’S RED STORM CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Look at St. John’s 11-game losing streak and one statistic stands out above all else: The Red Storm are just miserable at shooting and scoring the basketball. And that’s painful for coach Chris Mullin, who was a highly-decorated player for the Johnnies before embarking on an illustrious NBA career.
It’s difficult to manufacture positive energy in the midst of such a long losing streak. Yet, St. John’s hoped a spirited second half in a 78-73 loss to Marquette last Sunday would carry over into Wednesday’s game. It didn’t, and the overmatched and undersized Storm couldn’t stop the onslaught. Of course not much was expected this season, especially after starting center Yankuba Sima was sidelined with a broken hand.
It may not be long before the win-loss record carries more promise. For now the positives are measured in attitude, approach and effort. And with Mullin leading the way, you know the Red Storm will at least be competitive in those areas.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
With a game against Creighton and a rematch with Providence upcoming, it’s quite possible the Wildcats experience a letdown against the Johnnies, who haven’t won a conference game yet this season while dropping 11 in a row overall, before two crucial league games. It’s been a trying campaign so far for Mullin and his squad, but the Storm did win three straight prior to their current slide with their last victory coming over Syracuse on Dec. 13. Shooting woes and lack of depth have really cost St. John’s, and even if the Storm put together a complete game it would still be tough for them to defeat Villanova. It’s hard to imagine a team that shoots 39.7 percent collectively inflicting the kind of damage needed to knock off a top 10 team. And the Wildcats can do it on defense, limiting opponents to 61.6 points and 38.4 percent field goal shooting.
Villanova 78, St. John’s 62
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