High-profile college basketball brands meet on Monday at Madison Square Garden. The 2023 Gavitt Tipoff Games showcase a tilt between the Michigan Wolverines and the St. John's Red Storm. Michigan opened its season with two dominant wins after the Wolverines finished 17-15 last season. St. John's is 1-0 in its first season under Rick Pitino, and the Red Storm were 18-15 a year ago.
SportsLine consensus lists the Red Storm as 2.5-point favorites for this 6:30 p.m. ET tipoff. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 155 in the latest Michigan vs. St. John's odds. Before making any St. John's vs. Michigan picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 2 of the 2023-24 season on an 87-56 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. Anyone who followed it saw huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Michigan vs. St. John's and revealed its CBB picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see the picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for St. John's vs. Michigan:
- Michigan vs. St. John's spread: St. John's -2.5
- Michigan vs. St. John's over/under: 155 points
- Michigan vs. St. John's money line: SJU -145, MICH +122
- Michigan: The Wolverines are 6-5 against the spread in the last 11 road games
- St. John's: The Red Storm are 5-13 against the spread in the last 18 home games
- Michigan vs. St. John's picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Michigan can cover
Through two games, Michigan has found success, with 6-foot-8 forward Olivier Nkamhoua leading the way. Nkamhoua, a transfer from Tennessee, averaged double figures for the Volunteers a year ago, and he is averaging 21.5 points (on 73% shooting) and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Wolverines. Michigan is scoring 1.29 points per possession and averaging more than 95 points per game this season, leading to a pair of victories by 55 combined points. Shooting efficiency has been key for the Wolverines, with the team making 54.9% of field goal attempts, 40.4% of 3-point attempts and 64.2% of 2-point attempts.
On defense, Michigan is also off to a stingy start, allowing well below a point per possession through two games. The Wolverines are dominating the defensive glass, securing more than 76% of available rebounds after forcing a missed shot, and opponents are shooting only 38.7% from 2-point range against Michigan. The Wolverines led the Big Ten in opponent shooting last season, and Michigan was also No. 2 in the conference in defensive efficiency. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why St. John's can cover
St. John's is led by a pair of all-conference standouts in Joel Soriano and Chris Ledlum. Soriano earned All-Big East honors last season, averaging 15.2 points per game and leading the conference with 11.9 rebounds per contest. He also generated 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in the opener for the Red Storm. Soriano is joined by the Harvard transfer, Ledlum, who was an All-Ivy League selection a year ago. He also led his conference in rebounds (8.5 per game) while averaging 18.8 points per game, and Ledlum produced 16 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the season opener.
That duo led St. John's to 1.31 points per possession in the blowout win over Stony Brook, and the Red Storm produced the best offensive rebound rate (56.2%) in any game across the first week of Division 1 action. St. John's also shot 50% from 3-point range and 91.7% from the free throw line in that matchup, and the Red Storm are facing a Michigan team that ranked No. 351 in the country in turnover creation rate (14.4%) on defense last season. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make St. John's vs. Michigan picks
The model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 153 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Michigan vs. St. John's, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that went 85-55 on its top-ranked college basketball picks last season, and find out.
