17 St. John's Red Storm vs Marquette Golden Eagles

This NCAAB matchup features No. 17 St. John's Red Storm (21-5 (12-2)) traveling to take on Marquette Golden Eagles (9-18 (9-6)) at Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI. The St John's hold a clear statistical edge this season, outperforming the Marquette by 16.6 points per game in scoring margin. That differential will be a key factor in this matchup. On offense, Marquette averages 71.7 points per game, which exceeds what the St John's defense typically allows (67.9 PPG). That mismatch could give the home side opportunities to exploit. The St John's offense puts up 81.2 PPG and faces a Marquette defense allowing 75.0 PPG. The visitors have the offensive firepower to stay in this one. Home court advantage is worth approximately 3.5 points in NCAAB, and Marquette will look to leverage their home crowd. Our model projects St John's to win by approximately 7.8 points. The 68% confidence interval ranges from Marquette winning by 5 to losing by 20. Our model aligns closely with the market on this one, suggesting the oddsmakers have priced this game efficiently. Look for small edges in the total and moneyline markets to capitalize on any remaining value.

Marquette has struggled this season at 9-18 (9-6). The wins have been hard to come by, and the team is looking for answers on both ends of the floor. Home court advantage will be critical for any chance at pulling off an upset. St John's comes in with an impressive 21-5 (12-2) record. They've been among the best teams in their conference and are playing with the confidence of a squad that expects to win. Road games can be tricky, but this team has the poise to handle hostile environments. When these teams meet, the home team typically has the edge given the crowd advantage and familiarity factor. The team that controls tempo and limits turnovers will likely dictate the outcome of this matchup.