It's a classic Big East rematch when the 12th-ranked Villanova Wildcats host the St. John's Red Storm on Wednesday evening. The teams are going in opposite directions, but the Red Storm would love to avenge their 79-59 loss at home last month. Villanova (21-6) has won four in a row after a 64-55 win against Xavier on Saturday, while St. John's (14-13) has lost five of its last six, including an 81-65 setback against Seton Hall over the weekend. Both teams are a mix of youth and experience, but the Wildcats appear to have the talent and cohesion to be a national title contender. 

Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. The Wildcats are 13-point favorites in the latest St. John's vs. Villanova odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 146.5. Before considering your Villanova vs. St. John's picks or college basketball predictions, be sure to see what the proven SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. It also entered Week 17 of the 2019-20 season on a 66-40 run on all top-rated college basketball picks. Anybody who followed it has seen some huge returns.

Now, the model has locked in on Villanova vs. St. John's. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for St. John's vs. Villanova:

  • St. John's vs. Villanova spread: Villanova -13
  • St. John's vs. Villanova over-under: 146.5
  • St. John's vs. Villanova money line: Villanova -1033, St. John's +657
  • VIL: G Justin Moore is shooting 41.5 percent on three-pointers at home.
  • SJU: F Julian Champagnie has scored in double figures in four of the past five games.

Why Villanova can cover

Villanova is 8-5-1 against the spread in conference games, and the Wildcats have gotten big contributions from sophomore Saddiq Bey, freshmen Justin Moore and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Bey is the top scorer at 15.8 points and grabs five rebounds, while Robinson-Earl scores 10.6 per game and pulls down a team-high 9.4 boards. Moore chips in 10.9 points as one of the five scorers in double figures and helps Bey on the defensive end.

Juniors Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels also play critical roles for the Wildcats, who are 7-5-1 against the spread with equal rest. Gillespie has made 36.8 percent of his team-high 174 three-point attempts and averages 15.7 points, while Samuels scores 10.7 and grabs 5.3 rebounds. They combine for 2.4 steals per game, while Robinson-Earl gets 1.2. Bey is the most effective three-point shooter, making 46.3 percent on 149 tries. 

Why St. John's can cover

Even so, the Wildcats aren't a lock to cover the Villanova vs. St. John's spread. That's because St. John's is 14-11-2 against the spread overall, and the Red Storm have leaders in juniors LJ Figueroa and Rasheem Dunn. Figueroa is the top scorer at 14.8 points per game, and he has made 36.3 percent of his 168 three-point tries. Dunn leads the team with 3.3 assists per contest and averages 12.6 points. The juniors combine for 8.2 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game. They have stepped up since senior Mustapha Heron was lost for the season with an ankle injury. 

Julian Champagnie has become a do-it-all player for the Red Storm, who are 6-5-1 against the spread after a loss. The 6-foot-7 freshman is the leading rebounder averaging 6.4 per contest, scores nine points and gets 1.2 steals per game. Sophomore Marcellus Earlington also scores nine per game, but he has been the top scorer in two of the last four. Senior Nick Rutherford chips in 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals, and 6-foot-9 sophomore Josh Roberts blocks 1.6 shots per contest.  

How to make Villanova vs. St. John's picks

We can tell you that the model is leaning under, with simulations calling for off nights for Villanova's Gillespie and the SJU bench. The model also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Villanova vs. St. John's? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the St. John's vs. Villanova spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $2,700 on its college basketball picks the last three years, and find out.