West Virginia vs. St. John's odds, spread: 2023 college basketball picks, Dec. 1 best bets from proven model
The West Virginia Mountaineers (3-3) and St. John's Red Storm (4-2) will both be seeking improvement when they square off on Friday night as part of the 2023 Big East-Big 12 Battle. WVU has lost three of its last five games, but it is coming off a 62-58 win over Bellarmine on Sunday. The Mountaineers had previously lost to SMU and No. 24 Virginia in back-to-back games. Rick Pitino's St. John's squad has won three of its last four games, including victories over Utah and Holy Cross its last two times out.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on Friday at WVU Coliseum. St. John's is favored by 5.5 points in the latest West Virginia vs. St. John's odds, while the over/under is set at 141.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any St. John's vs. West Virginia picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 4 of the 2023-24 season on an 94-61 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It is also off to an 8-2 roll on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on St. John's vs. WVU. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- West Virginia vs. St. John's spread: St. John's -5.5
- West Virginia vs. St. John's over/under: 141.5 points
- West Virginia vs. St. John's money line: West Virginia +199, St. John's -243
- West Virginia vs. St. John's picks: See picks here
Why West Virginia can cover
West Virginia got back on track on Sunday, getting past Bellarmine in a 62-58 final. Senior center Jesse Edwards led four Mountaineers in double figures with 17 points and 14 rebounds on 5 of 10 shooting. Edwards, who spent the last four seasons at Syracuse, is averaging a double-double with 15.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Senior forward Quinn Slazinski is averaging a team-best 16.3 points to go along with 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He is facing a St. John's team that has allowed at least 80 points on three occasions this season, including losses to Michigan and Dayton. The Red Storm are also allowing opponents to shoot a league-worst 37.2% from beyond the arc.
Why St. John's can cover
While St. John's has been inconsistent defensively, it is coming off one of its most impressive performances of the season. The Red Storm cruised to a 91-45 win over Holy Cross last Saturday, easily covering the spread as 24-point favorites. Senior big man Joel Soriano finished with 16 points and six rebounds, connecting on 8 of 9 shot attempts from the floor.
The veteran leads the team with a double-double average at 16.2 points and 10.3 rebounds in his fifth collegiate season. He is one of four players on the roster averaging double digits, while Chris Ledlum is adding 9.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. West Virginia has yet to score more than 70 points in a game and is last in the Big 12 in scoring and field-goal percentage. See which team to pick here.
How to make West Virginia vs. St. John's picks
The model has simulated St. John's vs. West Virginia 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
