It will be father against son again as Richard Pitino takes his Xavier team to New York to face his dad, Rick, for the second time in five days. The older Pitino had the edge in the first game, although his son managed to cover.
My Xavier vs. St. John’s predictions and college basketball picks expect the Red Storm to sweep the season series with a solid home cover on February 9.
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Xavier vs St. John’s prediction
Xavier vs St. John’s best bet: St. John’s -15.5 (-110)
In his first win over his son this season, the elder Pitino notched career win number 900. He hasn’t lost since and can pass fellow Hall of Famer Roy Williams into third on the career wins list with a win today.
The St. John’s Red Storm have hit their stride, winning nine straight games, all in Big East Conference play. St. John’s has increased its pace of play and is now the No. 56 team in the country in tempo, up more than a dozen spots from earlier this season.
The team is scoring more points, averaging 82.9 over the last nine games, up nearly three points a game from the previous nine.
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Xavier, meanwhile, is struggling in Big East play. Half of its conference losses have been by 20 points or more. It’s also struggled in close games, going 2-4 when the margin of victory is within a half-dozen points.
The first game against St. John’s combined both problems. Xavier was headed for a blowout, falling behind by 16, then rallied to lose by five.
Both teams played UConn in their most recent game, which highlights the differences between the two squads right now.
St. John’s cruised to an 11-point second-half lead over the No. 3 Huskies, then held off a brief rally to win by nine. Xavier wasn’t competitive, losing by 32.
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Xavier vs St. John’s same-game parlay
This game should move. St. John’s has steadily increased tempo as it’s played better, and Xavier plays even faster, ranking No. 38 in the country in pace.
The points total cutoff is extremely high for a college game, but Xavier has had three games with a cutoff in the 160s in the last seven and gone Over in all of them (including the first St. John’s game).
St. John’s is No. 42 in the country in opponents’ shooting from 2-point range. The Red Storm’s interior defense held Filip Borovicanin to 3-for-13 shooting in the first game.
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It triggered a shooting slump for the power forward, who has made just 12 of 38 shots. He’s scored in single digits three times in the last four games.
Xavier vs St. John’s SGP
Filip Borovicanin Under 9.5 points
Our beyond the arc SGP: Running out of freebies
One thing Xavier does well on defense is avoiding sending opponents to the free-throw line. More than 34% of Zuby Ejiofor’s points come from the line, meaning points won’t come as easily.
Xavier vs St. John’s SGP
Filip Borovicanin Under 9.5 points
Zuby Ejiofor Under 17.5 points
Xavier vs St. John’s odds
Spread: Xavier +15.5 | St. John’s -15.5
Moneyline: Xavier +850 | St. John’s -1400
Over/Under: Over 160.5 | Under 160.5
Xavier vs St. John’s betting trend to know
Xavier has hit the Game Total Over in 22 of their last 34 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Xavier vs. St. John’s.
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How to watch Xavier vs St. John’s
Location
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Date
Monday, February 9, 2026
Tip-off
6:30 p.m. ET
TV
FS1
Xavier vs St. John’s key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.Not intended for use in MA.Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
