The miraculous season that Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad has put together rolls on, as the Red Storm takes on Creighton in the Big East Championship Saturday night. St. John’s trailed Marquette 37-35 at halftime in the semifinals Friday night, leaving a disappointed Madison Square Garden crowd to ponder if the regular season success was just a facade.
It clearly was not. The Red Storm outscored Marquette 44-26 in the second half, en route to a 79-63 victory. Junior big man Zuby Ejiofor led the way with a season-high 33 points, dominating in the paint and igniting the crowd in the 2nd half. St. John’s will look to secure their first conference tournament victory since 1992.
On the other hand, Creighton’s appearance in the championship game is somewhat surprising despite being the #2 seed in the tournament. Creighton defeated UConn Friday night 71-62, eliminating the Huskies’ hopes of cutting down the net at MSG in back to back years. Creighton got production from an unlikely hero, as sophomore forward Jasen Green (4.3 PPG) poured in 19 points on 8-10 shooting.
Creighton, led by Ryan Kalkbrenner (19.2 PPG), Steven Ashworth (16.2 PPG), and Jamiya Neal (11.2 PPG), split the season series with St. John’s 1-1. The Blue Jays have made 2 of the last 4 Big East Championships, losing in both 2021 and 2022.
How to watch Creighton vs. St. John’s
- Date: Saturday, March 15
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- How to Watch (TV): FOX
- Streaming: fuboTV
- Creighton record: 24-9
- St. John’s record: 29-4
Creighton vs. St. John’s odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Creighton +230
- St. John’s -285
Spread
- Creighton +6.5 (-110)
- St. John’s -6.5 (-110)
Total
- 140.5 (over -110/under -110)
Creighton injury report
- Pop Isaacs, G: Out (hip)
St. John’s injury report
- Jaiden Glover, G: Out (wrist)
- Brady Dunlap, F: Out (hand)
Creighton and St. John’s series history
- Creighton all-time record vs. St. John’s: 19-12
Creighton vs. St. John’s prediction
Despite St. John’s being the big bad wolf of the Big East this year, it’s hard to overlook Creighton. The Blue Jays are 36th in KenPom’s efficiency rating, well balanced at 41st in Offensive Rating and 40th in Defensive Rating.
Ryan Kalkbrenner has won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award FOUR years in a row, and he will present a difficult challenge for Zuby Ejiofor. Creighton is an experienced squad, and hungry to get over the hump in the Big East Championship after losingin their last four appearances.
Nonetheless, this will be a home game for the Johnnies. In Rick Pitino’s 2nd year with the program, the Red Storm has consistently been a boa constrictor to opponents. They’re now ranked #1 in KenPom’s Defensive Rating, while having six players that average between 8.2 and 18.2 points per game.
St. John’s is arguably the most well coached team in the country, and the unexpectedness of their dominance this season is only fueling their momentum down the stretch. Madison Square Garden will be rocking, and I expect Rick Pitino to be cutting down the net Saturday night when it’s all said and done.
Prediction: St. John’s 81, Creighton 76