Syracuse Orange vs St. John's Red Storm Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 3

No. 13 St. John's is 3-0, and Syracuse brings a team shooting 51 percent from the field into Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

The Matchup

Syracuse visits St. John's on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Peacock, with St. John's favored by 12.5 points and a total of 150.5. St. John's is 3-0, ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25, and plays out of the Big East Conference, with the Garden as its home stage for a rivalry that defined the old Big East. Syracuse is 2-1 out of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

St. John's has been excellent on both ends. The Red Storm score 90.7 points a game and allow 62.3, with 19.0 assists and 11.3 steals a game describing an offense that shares it and a defense that hunts it.

Syracuse scores 85.3 a game and allows 63.3, nearly matching the defensive number, while shooting 51 percent from the field. Last season St. John's went 30-7 while scoring 80.9 and allowing 69.6, a genuine national power, and Syracuse went 15-17 while scoring 75.0 and allowing 74.3, so the favorite's edge is built on a far stronger year, even if this season's Orange defend and shoot at a level last season's team never reached.

Keyshawn Hall leads St. John's at 18.7 points a game, Quinn Ellis adds 9.0 assists a game, and Ruben Prey leads at 5.7 rebounds a game. Kiyan Anthony leads Syracuse at 15.7 points a game, Ryan Moesch adds 6.0 assists a game, and Gavin Doty pulls down 8.3 rebounds a game. Hall, Ellis, Prey, Anthony, Moesch, and Doty all carry no injury designations.

Key Factors

The spread asks St. John's to bury a team that does the two things that keep underdogs close: shoot it well and protect the ball. Syracuse at 51 percent from the field with just 8.7 turnovers a game does not hand the Red Storm the transition chances their 11.3 steals a game usually create. When Syracuse gets to run its offense, Doty at 8.3 rebounds a game gives the Orange second chances against a St. John's team whose leader pulls down only 5.7 a game.

St. John's is still the better team, and its ball movement is the reason. Ellis at 9.0 assists a game runs an offense recording 19.0 assists a night, and Syracuse will have to defend every option rather than loading up on Hall. The Garden crowd on a Sunday night is worth real energy for the home team, and the Red Storm's pressure can snowball quickly if Syracuse's young ball handlers wobble in that noise.

The counterpoint cuts at Syracuse's ceiling. The Orange have not faced a defense like this yet, their 15-17 record last season came in a weaker league slate than what St. John's rolled through at 30-7, and if Hall wins his matchup decisively while Ellis picks apart late closeouts, a ten-point game at halftime can stretch past the number fast. Syracuse needs its shooting to travel to the Garden, and that is never a given for a young team.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.