St Johns vs Kansas Picks and Predictions NCAAB Dec 3
St Johns vs Kansas Betting Preview
WagerTalk college basketball handicapper Tony Finn offers his St Johns vs Kansas betting preview for Friday, December 3. At the time of posting, the Jayhawks have opened as a 7-point road favorite in New York, with the total at 156.5 points. This St Johns vs Kansas contest will be played at the new UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
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St Johns vs Kansas Predictions
- Kansas Jayhawks -7 at St Johns Red Storm
- Total: 156.5 points
- UBS Arena in Elmont, New York
- 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT
- Broadcast on FS1
The Big 12 favorites to win the conference in 2021-22 Kansas Jayhawks (5-1) are in Elmont, New York, for a non-conference affair against Big East Conference member St. John’s Red Storm (5-1).
No. #8 ranked Kansas, and St. John’s both come into Friday night’s early December game off late November victories. Sharp-shooting guard from Burlington connected with 18 points leading Bill Self’s Jayhawks 86-83 win over Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels. All-American candidate Ochai Agbaji added 17 points, and Big David McCormack scored 13 points for Kansas.
The Bill Self-led Jayhawks win over Rick Pitino’s Gaels was the first official game between the two Hall of Fame coaches.
“Now that I’ve faced Kansas, I’m glad we didn’t play them in all those years,” Pitino spoke to with a national media audience following the Gaels’ loss to the Jayhawks. “I’ve always admired him. I’ve always thought he’s one of the best coaches in the game. What I admire most is, whether it’s his fast break, his offensive sets, his rebounding, he doesn’t have a weakness as a coach.”
When asked what he had to say to Pitino, a smiling Self said: “Good game, and he said good game, too.”
The Jayhawks had yet to put a complete game together in November. Still, the 96-points and the dominating runs that Kansas put together in the matchup were stuff only championship quality teams can do, especially against a Rick Pitino-led team. In the first half alone, the ‘Hawks issued statements of 12-0, 10-0 and 8-0 runs while shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor.
St. John’s earned a 77-68 overtime win at Carnesecca Arena on Saturday night, scoring the victory against an always tough New Jersey Institue of Technology. It wasn’t a work of art, but the Johnnies found a way to hold off a valent comeback by the Highlanders. The Red Storm let a 16-point lead disappear across 11 minutes of the game’s final 12 in the second half.
The Storm scored ten consecutive points to make the score 58-42 with just over 11 minutes to go before the NJIT storm put the Storm team on alert. In the end, the 21-5 run that saw the Highlanders force overtime won’t be remembered when Big East play begins. What will be remembered is that a win is a win, is a win, and nothing less.
The Jayhawks have a raw talent edge and the experience of playing on the east coast one night, flying back to the midwest for a game two nights later only to find the plane fueled and ready to head to the Big Apple. The experience factor that Kansas holds tightly to is partly due to the COVID issue that required the NCAA to issue all players, including seniors, an additional year of eligibility. Kansas rostered many talented Supers because of the NCAA ruling a season ago.
Kansas has benefited on the court a group of talent-rich seniors. Toss in the Super Seniors, and the words speak a-thousand pictures. The Jayhawks Supers include; Ochai Agbaji, Remy Martin, David McCormack, and Mitch Lightfoot. If one chooses to use the phrase, the foursome could be referenced as fierce. The bottom line is that all four have combined to account for 57 percent of the team’s scoring this year.
The Jayhawks like to play at tempo. Kenpom Advanced Analytics ranks the Jayhawks as the 47th fastest team in Division I in adjusted tempo. The Red Storm plays even faster than Bill Self’s Hawks, ranking as the 28th fastest team in the college basketball big league.
The Storm is exceptional at finding the open man in offensive sets and possessions that start in transition. The Johnnies have registered an assist on 62 of 92 field goals (67.4 percent) across its previous three games.
Kansas is one of the best closers in Division I ranks. The Jayhawks have turned the ball over on only 14.4 percent of its possessions which is the 17th-best mark in Division I hoops.
The Thursday night money move that pushed this game’s opening over-under a point-and-a-half in less than an hour once the opening lines were posted and Vegas and Offshore shops opened, the game spoke volumes to what we should expect tonight. That “what” is points, points, and more points.
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St Johns vs Kansas Analysis from The GoldSheet
After opening the season with an impressive win over Michigan State in Madison Square Garden, Kansas took a step back in finishing third in the ESPN Events Invitational, blowing a double-digit lead against Dayton in the semifinals and ultimately losing at the buzzer. The Jayhawks hung 96 on Iona to rebound from the defeat and will open December in New York’s newest hockey venue, UBS Arena, challenging St. John’s.
Red Storm leading scorer and rebounder Julian Champagnie (21.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is hoping for a packed atmosphere since this is a game the city has been pointing to as one of the season’s biggest but it remains to be seen what the turnout will be and how much of a homecourt edge NYC’s team should expect in a gym they’ve never played in. St. John’s lost 76-74 at Indiana in the only game it has played in front of a packed house but it responded to the pressure well and figures to aggressively attack Kansas with its pressure.
Mike Anderson’s team won’t back down, but Bill Self’s team has plenty of guards who aren’t likely to be sped up in Remy Martin, Ochai Agbaji, Dajuan Harris, Jalen Coleman-Lands and Joseph Yesufu. Look for a fast pace to prevail and Kansas to ultimately wear down the Johnnies in a high-scoring affair.
Tip-Off Show | St Johns vs Kansas Preview
Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests. The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. On Friday’s episode, we discuss Purdue vs Iowa; Saint Johns vs Kansas; and Illinois vs Rutgers. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down the college basketball card from a sports betting perspective.
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