St. John's vs Marquette Prediction - Basketball Picks 3/9/23

Marquette Golden Eagles (25-6) vs St. John's Red Storm (18-14)

Game Info: Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 12:00 pm (Madison Square Garden)

Betting Odds: Marquette Golden Eagles -6.5 -- Over/Under: 162 Click Here for the Latest Odds

Where to Watch: FS1 Stream College Basketball all season on ESPN+. Sign up now!

The St. John’s Red Storm and the Marquette Golden Eagles will meet in New York City to battle in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on FS1. Marquette leads the all-time series, 26-16, after winning four of the last five meetings.

St. John’s moved to 18-14 after beating Butler in the first round. The Red Storm capitalized on a fast start to end the Bulldogs season with a 13-point win, 76-63. St. John’s scores 77.6 points per game, while allowing 75.7 ppg, and shooting 45.5% from the floor.

St. John’s capitalized on the home court advantage of MSG against Butler, and they’ll look to do the same here against the regular season conference champs. Senior big Joel Soriano posted a 19-point, 15-board double-double, and he leads SJU in scoring (15.2) and rebounding (11.8). Former DePaul forward David Jones joins him up front, and he’s second on the team at 13.1 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Junior guard Posh Alexander scored 18 points in the season finale versus Marquette, and he’s up to 10.3 and a team-lead 4.4 apg.

Marquette moved to 25-6 after defeating St. John’s in Marquette. The Golden Eagles managed to hold off the Red Storm in a shootout, 96-94. Marquette 81.0 points per game, while allowing 71.3 ppg, and shooting 49.5% from the floor.

Marquette clinched a spot in the Big Dance with the regular season title win, and they’ll look to become outright Big East champions for the first time. Sophomore guard Kam Jones scored 23 points in the season finale win over St. John’s to bring his team-lead to 15.3 ppg. Tyler Kolek has double-doubled in the final three games, and he’s one of the top passers in the country at 7.9 apg, while scoring 12.7 ppg. Olivier-Maxence Prosper (12.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Oso Ighodaro (11.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) start up front for the Golden Eagles.

St. John’s is 13-18 against the spread this season, with a 16-14-1 over/under record. Marquette is 19-11-1 ATS this year, with a 17-14 o/u record.

St. John’s played Marquette very well on the road in the season finale, and while the game was somewhat for the regular season conference champs, the visitors still put a scare on the hosts. MSG undoubtedly gives St. John’s a bit of an edge, and spotting them the points is appealing, but there’s another angle here. The total is incredibly high for a SJU team coming into their second game in as many days, and I think that affects the scoreboard. I like Marquette advancing here, but put these two teams to the test, and take the under for this Big East quarterfinal.