Butler Bulldogs vs St John's Red Storm Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/08/2023

Game Time: 3:00 pm ET, Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Venue:  Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Butler +5.5, St John’s -5.5; Over/Under:  144.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Butler +5.5, St John’s -5.5; Over/Under:  144.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Butler +5.5, St John’s -5.5; Over/Under:  144.5 points

Butler Bulldogs:  14-17 (6-14) (9th place, Big East)

St John's Red Storm:  17-14 (7-13) (8th place, Big East)

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Butler Bulldogs:  1-4  last 5

St John's Red Storm:  2-3  last 5

Butler is coming into this game with a 14-17 record overall and they are 1-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 6-14 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Xavier Musketeers in their last game. Jayden Taylor led the team in points in that game with 16 while Chuck Harris was next on the team with 13 points. Eric Hunter Jr. led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Simas Lukosius, Manny Bates, Jayden Taylor, and Eric Hunter Jr. each led the team in rebounds with 3. They were 45.5% from the field, 18.8% from 3-point range, and 86.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 65.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.7 PPG against them. Butler has an ATS record of 14-15-2 this season and their O/U record is 9-20-2.

St. John’s is coming into this game with a 17-14 record overall and they are 3-0 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 7-13 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the UConn Huskies and the Marquette Golden Eagles in their last game. Dylan Addae-Wusu led the team in points in that game with 25 while Posh Alexander was next on the team with 18 points. Dylan Addae-Wusu led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Joel Soriano led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 53.1% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 75.7 PPG against them. St. John’s has an ATS record of 13-18 this season and their O/U record is 16-14-1.

The current betting odds have St. John's listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. St. John's enters this Big East Tournament as the higher seed with their 7-13 conference record this season. It was not any better than the 6-14 conference record of Butler, but St. John's was also a better team overall as they finished the regular season with a winning 17-14 record overall while Butler had a losing 14-17 record overall. Both of these teams have some experience this season in neutral site games too as Butler went 1-2 in theirs while St. John's was very good going a perfect 3-0 in their neutral site games. Both enter this game on 2 game losing streaks too but Butler has been really bad in their games over the last few weeks while St. John's has been playing a lot better and even kept their last few losses really close against some of the best teams in the Big East. St. John's will have no trouble pulling away in this game with the way Butler has struggled all season and St. John's will be sending themselves through to the next round. The best way to place a bet here is on St. John's to cover the spread in this game. 

Butler St John's Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, March 8, 2023 (3:00 pm ET start time) is St John’s 71 Butler 61.

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Butler Bulldogs: 19-5 ATS off 2 straight losses against conference rivals. 23-5 ATS in first round tournament games. 50-28 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive losses.

St John's Red Storm: 1-7 ATS when the total is 140 to 149.5. 4-12 ATS after one or more consecutive overs. 10-3 UNDER after scoring 80 points or more 2 straight games.

Butler Bulldogs:  D. Hughes (F) Ques Wed - Illness. A. Ali (G) Ques Wed - Concussion. M. Bates (C) Ques Wed - Shoulder. J. Mulloy (F) Out indefinitely - Ankle.

St John's Red Storm:  R. Pinzon (G) Out indefinitely - Suspension. M. Mathis (G) out for season - Toe.

“We were kind of disheveled tonight, especially offensively. A lot of it had to do with Manny Bates not being out there. (Xavier) get you in so many ways. You take one thing away, they make the adjustment and get you there.” - Thad Matta after his team’s loss against Xavier in their final game of the season.

"I thought our guys fought to the very end…it was the best  and most consistent we have played in a while and it is about time.  Playing against Marquette, Shaka has a very good basketball team….6th ranked team…they came out swinging…but we hung in there and gave ourselves a chance.” - Mike Anderson after his team’s loss against Marquette in their final game of the regular season.

M. Bates 

C. Harris 

E. Hunter 

S. Lukosius 

J. Taylor

P. Alexander 

A. Curbelo 

D. Jones 

M. Mathis 

J. Soriano

PPG: J. Taylor (13.2)

APG: S. Lukosius (2.9)

Reb/G: M. Bates (5.5)

PPG: J. Soriano (15.2)

APG: P. Alexander (4.4)

Reb/G: J. Soriano (11.8)

Coaches:

Butler Bulldogs: Thad Matta (1st season)

St John's Red Storm: Mike Anderson Sr (4th season)