Villanova Preview: Can the Wildcats Win St. John’s Rematch?

Villanova will host the No. 9 team in the nation on Wednesday, Feb. 12 when they take on the St. John’s Red Storm at the Finneran Pavilion beginning at 6 p.m.

The Wildcats played St. John’s close at Madison Square Garden back in January, holding a 54-50 lead with less than nine minutes to play. The Red Storm pulled ahead from there, but Villanova trailed by as little as one point with 2:35 to play before St. John’s closed them out on a 14-3 run.

Now the Wildcats have a chance to get revenge as the home team, and despite the quality of their opponent (St. John’s hasn’t lost a game in more than a month), they have an excellent chance of doing so. Per ESPN Analytics, Villanova picks up the win in 48.2 percent of their simulations, nothing to sneeze at against a top ten team. With the point spread set at +2.5 for Villanova and the money line at +115 (bettors are relying heavily on St. John’s, as the line opened at -105), ESPN Bet has the Wildcats as a slight underdog. The over/under, meanwhile, rests at 139.5.

Last time around, the Red Storm’s excellent defense limited star forward Eric Dixon to 18 points, one of his lowest outputs of the season. Dixon has struggled more than usual in recent weeks, but getting him back on track could go a long way to determining the victor. RJ Luis Jr. led St. John’s with 30 in that matchup, including a 16-of-20 clip from the charity stripe.

Right now, St. John’s holds the No. 20 spot in the NET rankings, making this a Quadrant 1 matchup for both teams; Villanova sits at No. 52.

Where to Watch; Who to Watch

FS1 holds the broadcasting rights for this game.

Luis leads the Red Storm in scoring with an average of 17.6 points per game; forward Zuby Ejiofor paces the team in rebounds (8.2) and blocks (1.6), while guard Kadary Richmond sets team highs in assists (5.0) and steals (2.0).

Eric Dixon, meanwhile, leads both Villanova and the nation with an average of 23.8 points per game. Athletic guard Wooga Poplar holds the top spot in rebounds (6.4 per game), Jhamir Brickus holds the top spot in assists (5.5) and Jordan Longino (1.3) and Enoch Boakye (0.8) lead in steals and blocks, respectively.

Red Storm starting guard Deivon Smith, who averages 9.5 points per game, remains doubtful for the game with a neck injury. He played just 17 minutes during the first game against the Wildcats, going down with a shoulder injury in the first half. Among their regular starters and reserves, Villanova possesses a relatively clean bill of health.

The all-time series between Villanova and St. John’s currently sits at 66-66, so history is on the line in this matchup.