Kansas vs. St. John’s Prediction

In the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup in the NCAA Tournament East Region, Kansas vs. St. John’s is the second-round game on Sunday, March 22 with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

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How to Watch Kansas vs. St. John’s

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When: 5:15 pm ET on Sunday, March 22nd

Where: Viejas Arena in San Diego, California

Watch: CBS

Odds for Kansas vs. St. John’s

(odds current at time of publish)

Spread: St. John’s -2.5 (-110), Kansas +2.5 (-110)

Total: Over 142.5 (-110), Under 142.5 (-110)

Kansas vs. St. John’s Prediction & Preview

Darryn Peterson, who could end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, has had an odd season for Kansas. Due to some cramping issues earlier in the year, the superstar hasn’t been himself throughout the course of the season. Not only has he not been as explosive as he was in high school, but he also hasn’t trusted his body. That’s seemingly why he was asking out of certain showdowns earlier in the year. However, Peterson is really ramping up now. In Kansas’ first-round win over Cal Baptist, he poured in 28 points in 37 minutes. He has actually played at least 37 minutes in two of the last three games, and it feels as though he has truly been unleashed. Will that be enough for the Jayhawks to beat the Red Storm — and go on to make a deep run?

Peterson being engaged is huge for Bill Self’s group, as we saw some awkward situations earlier in the year. However, I do wonder if it’s a little too little, too late. Given everything we know about the cramping, it’s hard to fault Peterson for this season going the way it has. People were quick to jump down his throat early on, and it seems now that it wasn’t deserved. But regardless of the reason, it took a long time for Kansas to get Peterson fully incorporated. And it just feels like this team lacks the cohesiveness of other elite programs.

In looking at the way Self’s group finished the year, losses to Cincinnati and Arizona State stand out as the types of performances you don’t really see out of tougher groups — both mentally and physically. Well, Kansas is about to play one of the toughest teams in the entire country, as Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad steps on the hardwood ready to inflict pain.

The Red Storm aren’t a perfect team, as they can’t shoot a lick and their offense suffers because of it. St. John’s only shoots 33.3% from deep, and the team is also near the bottom of college basketball in 3-Point Rate (34.2%). But this is a top-10 defensive team (93.7), a great offensive rebounding team (35.9%), and group that will do anything to win. That last one might not seem like much, but having a team with full buy-in going against a team that lacks chemistry could be dangerous. After all, we saw what grit, desire, and togetherness did for St. John’s in the Big East Tournament, with Pitino’s bunch manhandling a good UConn team in the finals.

It might seem a little ridiculous to cite some of these reasons when breaking down the matchup, but Kansas just got embarrassed by a tough, defensive-minded team in the Big 12 Tournament. Houston earned a 69-47 win over Kansas in the semifinals there, and the Jayhawks couldn’t get anything going in that one. Well, the Red Storm have the ability to stifle them in a similar fashion. Sure, Houston’s offense is much better than the St. John’s offense, but the Red Storm don’t need to win by 22. A three-point win would be a cover.

The matchup between Zuby Ejiofor and Flory Bidunga will be massive here. Bidunga has been a beast for Kansas this season, and the team will be relying on him to keep Ejiofor from dominating the paint. However, I do think that’ll ultimately go Ejiofor’s way. His motor is just relentless, and he never takes any plays off.

Pitino’s teams have also been very reliable as favorites, and this St. John’s team isn’t any different. Under Pitino, the Red Storm are 72-10 straight-up and 48-32-2 against the spread as favorites. They’re also 12-6 SU and 14-4 ATS in tournament games.

Estimated Score: St. John’s 74.5, Kansas 72.7

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