Halftime Report

Xavier fell flat on their face against the Huskies last Sunday, but memory of that harsh loss doesn’t seem to have tripped them up today. Xavier has jumped out to a quick 38-34 lead against the Red Storm.

Xavier came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.

Who’s Playing

St. John’s Red Storm @ Xavier Musketeers

Current Records: St. John’s 13-7, Xavier 10-10

How To Watch

• When: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Cintas Center — Cincinnati, Ohio
• TV: Fox Sports 1
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $22.05

What to Know

St. John’s has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They and the Xavier Musketeers will face off in a Big East battle at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Cintas Center. Xavier took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on St. John’s, who comes in off a win.

Even though St. John’s has not done well against the Wildcats recently (they were 2-8 in their previous ten matchups), they didn’t let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Red Storm blew past the Wildcats 70-50. Winning is a bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 15 to 5 on the offensive boards, as St. John’s did.

St. John’s can attribute much of their success to Joel Soriano, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds. Less helpful for St. John’s was Jordan Dingle’s abysmal 0-5 three-point shooting.

Meanwhile, the Musketeers took a serious blow against the Huskies on Sunday, falling 99-56. The result shouldn’t come as a shock considering that’s the fewest points Xavier has scored all season.

Dayvion McKnight put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 18 points.

The Red Storm’s victory bumped their record up to 13-7. As for the Musketeers, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 10-10.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. St. John’s hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 77.2 points per game. However, it’s not like Xavier struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 75.8 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

St. John’s is hoping to beat the odds on Wednesday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. Those interested in the spread don’t face an easy decision since they are 12-8 and Xavier is 4-2.

Odds

Xavier is a slight 1.5-point favorite against St. John’s, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Musketeers as a 1-point favorite.

The over/under is set at 157 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Xavier has won 6 out of their last 10 games against St. John’s.

• Dec 20, 2023 – St. John’s 81 vs. Xavier 66
• Feb 04, 2023 – Xavier 96 vs. St. John’s 71
• Dec 28, 2022 – Xavier 84 vs. St. John’s 79
• Mar 02, 2022 – St. John’s 81 vs. Xavier 66
• Feb 16, 2022 – St. John’s 86 vs. Xavier 73
• Feb 16, 2021 – St. John’s 93 vs. Xavier 84
• Jan 06, 2021 – Xavier 69 vs. St. John’s 61
• Feb 17, 2020 – Xavier 77 vs. St. John’s 74
• Jan 05, 2020 – Xavier 75 vs. St. John’s 67
• Mar 09, 2019 – Xavier 81 vs. St. John’s 68