St. John's vs. Arkansas Prediction, Odds & Today's Preview: NCAA Tournament Second Round Best Bets
Today's NCAA Tournament's second-round play features legendary coaches as Rick Pitino and the No. 2 St. John’s Red Storm (31-4) take on John Calipari and the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks (21-13). The West Region action is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. ET (CBS) at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. Let’s get into our St. John's vs. Arkansas prediction, odds, and preview to help you bet on Saturday’s game.
Unsurprisingly, St. John’s is the betting favorite over Arkansas with the spread at 6.5. The Johnnies won and covered a big 18.5-point spread versus Omaha, while Arkansas scored an upset win over Kansas.
Our March Madness predictions series continues as we break down whether the Hogs can keep this up.
🏀 St. John's vs. Arkansas prediction & picks today
Here are my best St. John's vs. Arkansas predictions for the second round of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:
✅ Against the spread pick: Arkansas +7 (-110 via Hard Rock Bet) vs. St. John’s ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥 Best player prop bet: RJ Luis Jr. Under 19.5 points (+100 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: St. John’s 72, Arkansas 70 (+16000 via DraftKings)
👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness second-round predictions.
🏆 Best St. John's vs. Arkansas pick, player prop bet & score prediction
Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!
✅ Arkansas to cover the spread: +7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
While St. John’s looked as dominant as it could’ve looked on Thursday, I remain skeptical of its ability to go on a deep tournament run. Historically, teams that opened the preseason unranked do not last long in March, and the Johnnies must contend with this reality as they look to fight for a championship.
The question is which matchup is the best one to fade them, and while you don’t want to be too early, you also get only one chance to be on time. I don’t want to miss our shot, and getting a full seven points with the Hogs means that they don’t even have to pull off the upset to cash our ticket.
Beyond unranked preseason teams struggling, Arkansas and St. John’s are closer than the 7-point spread suggests. Since February 1, St. John’s ranks only 14th in T-Rank, ranking 72nd in adjusted offensive efficiency but first in defensive efficiency. Arkansas ranks 27th, scoring 52nd in offensive efficiency and 18th in defensive efficiency.
Bart Torvik makes the spread St. John’s -5.5, so take the points and consider backing Arkansas to score the upset outright.
📊 Best odds: -110 via Hard Rock Bet ($10 to win $9.09)
Terms and conditions apply.
🔥 RJ Luis Jr. Under 19.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Saturday’s St. John’s vs. Arkansas matchup should be a defensive one with both Arkansas and St. John’s locking down their opponents. Those hunting out player prop value need look no further than Johnnies star RJ Luis Jr., whose prop total of 19.5 is above his season average (18.5).
Luis erupted for 22 points in only 31 minutes versus Omaha while shooting 57.1% from the field. That kind of efficiency is impressive, but it probably isn’t sustainable against a defense like Arkansas’. Luis is shooting only 44.8% from the field this year and converts only three-quarters of his free throws.
The Under 19.5 will cost you -110 to -120 at most of our best sports betting sites, but we can find a +100 on BetMGM. New users can use BetMGM bonus code "SBRBONUS" for an added boost.
📊 Best odds: +100 via BetMGM ($10 to win $10)
Bonus bets will expire in 7 days. One new customer offer only. Additional terms and conditions apply.
🎯 Score prediction: St. John’s 72, Arkansas 70
With this game’s total set to 144.5, we’re going slightly under that number by projecting 142 total points. We’re also backing Arkansas to keep this game closer than the market suggests it will be. Both sides’ impressive defensive play and less impressive offensive play means that this game could devolve into a fight.
We’re not going any lower than 140 largely because these teams play at a fast clip. Since February 1, St. John’s is 41st in pace while Arkansas is 45th. While I still think we stay under the total, the tempo will compensate for at least some shooting struggles.
📊 Best odds: +16000 via DraftKings ($10 to win $1,600)
Terms and conditions apply.
🤖 St. John's vs. Arkansas AI prediction
For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for St. John's vs. Arkansas. Our AI prediction projects a final score of St. John's 78, Arkansas 69.
🖥️ AI score prediction: St. John's 78, Arkansas 69.
- St. John's boasts the nation's top-ranked defense in adjusted efficiency, having allowed 75 points or more in just two of its last 20 games. This defensive prowess could stifle Arkansas' offense, which has been prone to scoring droughts this season.
- Arkansas' leading scorer, Adou Thiero, is sidelined due to injury, potentially hindering the Razorbacks' offensive capabilities against a formidable St. John's defense.
- The coaching duel between Hall of Famers John Calipari and Rick Pitino adds a strategic layer to this matchup, with Pitino holding a slight historical edge over Calipari.
🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean St. John's covering the spread (-7.5) and a total of 147 points, slightly exceeding the Over/Under line of 144.5. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.
📊 Live St. John's vs. Arkansas odds
Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the second round.
Latest St. John's vs. Arkansas odds
Here are the latest St. John's vs. Arkansas odds via BetMGM ahead of tipoff:
Spread
St. John's, the No. 2 seed, is laying 7.5 points on the spread as the betting favorite. The Arkansas side of the betting line is the slight favorite with -125 odds.
Total
The St. John's vs. Arkansas Over/Under is up to 145.5 points from the opening line of 144. The Over is the slight favorite with -115 odds.
Moneyline
St. John's is a -300 moneyline favorite for the outright win. Those odds represent an implied win probability of 75%.
🔢 St. John's vs. Arkansas opening odds
- Spread: St. John’s -7 (-110) | Arkansas +7 (-110)
- Moneyline: St. John’s -290 | Arkansas +245
- Over/Under: Over 144 (-110) | Under 144 (-110)
📺 How to watch St. John's vs. Arkansas: NCAA Tournament second round
📅 Date: Saturday, March 22
🕗 Time: 2:40 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence, R.I.)
📺 TV: CBS
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live
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