Marquette vs. St. John’s Prediction and Odds: Big East Battle Could Go Down to the Wire

The Big East Semifinal Round gets underway today, with the No. 25 Marquette Golden Eagles taking on the No. 6 St. John’s Red Storm. Tipoff for this Big East battle is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, with coverage via Fox.

This game is a pretty unique matchup. Yes, every game during conference tournaments is a rematch from the regular season. But Marquette and St. John’s just played a few days ago in the regular season finale (Mar. 8). The Golden Eagles were 1.5-point home favorites.

Not only that, but the margin of victory was just two points – in overtime! So, does anyone have an advantage? Based on their prior game, no. But St. John’s is ranked No. 6 in the nation for a reason.

Marquette vs. St. John’s Odds for Friday, March 14

Odds for Marquette vs. St. John’s are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Sign up at Caesars with our promo code WSNDYW and claim your welcome offer: Bet $1, Get Ten 100% Profit Boost Tokens.

Marquette vs. St. John’s Prediction

Marquette was solid against the spread during the non-conference part of their schedule (7-3-1) but not so much in conference play (7-14). St. John’s, however, had a good ATS record in nonconference (7-4) and conference (12-7-2) games.

The OVER was 8-12-1 for Marquette and 7-14 for St. John’s.

Marquette Golden Eagles Preview

The Golden Eagles got off to a strong start in conference play, winning nine of their first ten. But things went south following their Jan. 28 win over Butler (78-69), starting with a loss to UConn. They went on to lose five of their next nine, including a rematch vs. St. John’s.

In the first meeting vs. St. John’s, Marquette was ranked higher (No. 11; St. John’s was No. 12); the Red Storm were 3.5-point home favorites. The Golden Eagles took a one-point lead into the break (31-30), but St. John’s took charge in the second, ultimately winning 70-64.

The rematch was just as competitive, but this time, St. John’s took a one-point lead into the break. Neither team was able to get an advantage in the second half, and the game ended up going to overtime.

It looked like another OT period was inevitable when Kam Jones tied the score up at 84-84. But then Zuby Ejiofor hit a buzzer-beater for the win. It was as close as you could get to a ‘morale’ win, but in reality, it meant the team had gone 4-6 down the stretch.

Marquette had another tight one in their quarterfinal matchup with Xavier. The Golden Eagles were down ten at the break, 46-36, but came charging back in the second. However, they didn’t take the lead for good until a Ben Gold free throw with ten seconds left.

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St. John’s Red Storm Preview

St. John’s had a much more dominant, commanding run in conference play, especially once the new year arrived. In 2025, the Red Storm went 16-1, with their one loss coming against Villanova on Feb. 12, 73-71.

The win over Marquette in the regular season finale held special significance for St. John’s. Kadary Richmond recorded the first triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists, and 12 rebounds since Ron Artest in 1999. With the victory, they matched a program high for regular season wins (27), a mark set by the 1985-86 team.

St. John’s made the most of their 19 offensive rebounds, recording 27 second-chance points to 10 for Marquette. When the team clinched the regular season title a week earlier, it was the first outright Big East title for St. John’s since the 1984-85 season.

RJ Luis Jr. led the team in scoring this season with 18.1 points per game, followed by Zuby Ejiofor with 14.1 ppg and KadaryRichmondd with 12.7 ppg.

St. John’s ranks first in the conference in field goal percentage defense at 40.2% (good for No. 19 in the nation). While they are third to last in free throw percentage (68.8%), they rank fourth in the conference in free throws made (14).

They also have the second-best rebound margin in the Big East (5.9), while Marquette is second to last (-1.2).

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Marquette vs. St. John’s Betting Pick

• Marquette vs. St. John’s Pick: Over 141.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook

St. John’s has the top-scoring offense and defense in the Big East. Statistically speaking, Marquette is not far behind. I see this game playing out much like the regular season finale. Maybe not with overtime, but it’s going to be close; I could see it going either way.

Consequently, I’m staying away from the spread and moneyline, but betting on the total. With how both Marquette and St. John’s have been doing and how their Mar. 8 game played out, I’m going with the OVER.

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How to Watch Marquette vs. St. John’s

• When: Friday, March 14 @ 6:30 p.m. ET

• Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

• TV: Fox