New Mexico Lobos vs St. John's Red Storm Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 11/17/24

The New Mexico Lobos and the St. John’s Red Storm will face off on Sunday for a non-conference matchup. This matchup has great buzz since the St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino will be coaching again his son Richard Pitino, who is the head coach of New Mexico. Both teams have a good opportunity to be near the top of their league this season and make the NCAA Tournament, so we are in for a good game here. The spread indicates that St. John’s will win the game, but our best bet is the over point total. The line is currently set at 163.5 points, and we expect that line to finish over.

We like the over in this matchup because both teams will look to play fast and push the ball as much as possible. According to KenPom, New Mexico is ranked #1 nationally in adjusted tempo and #2 in average offensive possession length. Similarly, St. John’s is ranked #1 in average offensive possession length, so the pace of this game should be off the charts. Both teams are ranked in the top 55 nationally in points per game so far this season and there should be no shortage of offense in this one. Expect the offense to be in there in this matchup at Madison Square Garden and take the over.

*Over 163.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at 165*