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Villanova vs. St. John’s: College basketball preview, prediction, TV schedule

By Holden Walter-Warner

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 04: Omari Spellman
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 04: Omari Spellman /
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Fresh off the biggest upset in recent program history, the St. John’s Red Storm will hunt for an even bigger win against the Villanova Wildcats.

TV Schedule: Wednesday, February 7, 7:00 p.m. ET, CBSSN

Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The St. John’s Red Storm changed the entire complexion of their season with a win over the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday. For the New York City program, it was a defining moment of Chris Mullin’s tenure.

Moreover, it was one of the biggest upsets of the season.

But Duke is a team in flux, largely due to their youth. The Villanova Wildcats, on the other hand, are not.

With a 22-1 record, Villanova is arguably the best college basketball team in the country. The AP voters would agree, affirming their No. 1 record once again.

Seton Hall gave the Wildcats a challenge during the first half of Sunday’s affair. Yet Villanova still went on to win 92-76, led by Omari Spellman, who scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats haven’t scored less than 75 points in a game since November 24.

St. John’s is having the opposite Big East season that the Wildcats are having. The Red Storm have played 11 Big East games so far, winning precisely none of them.

Additionally, opponents aren’t going to sleep on Shamorie Ponds again. The sophomore stunned Duke, scoring 33 points in his second 30-plus point performance of the week. He’s the only member of the team scoring more than 15 points per game, however, giving the Wildcats someone to focus in on.

These two teams met in mid-January at Madison Square Garden. Ponds had an even stronger game than his performance against Duke, scoring 37 points.

St. John’s kept it close, but ultimately fell short, 78-71.

Next: Mid-season Big East recap

In Philadelphia, they’re going to have their work cut out for them. There’s plenty of good sports mojo going around the city this week and the Wildcats aren’t going to be the ones to blow that.

Prediction: Villanova 90, St. John’s 67

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