If the St. John’s Red Storm want to have a merry Christmas, they had better get the holiday week started right with a big win over the Harvard Crimson.
Harvard has lost five of its last six against the spread, including its last three as underdogs. The Johnnies one-upped that, losing their last six ATS, all as favorites.
Something’s got to give, and my Harvard vs St. John’s predictions and college basketball picks say it will be St. John’s struggles, as they cover the spread on Tuesday, December 23.
Harvard vs St. John’s prediction
Harvard vs St. John’s best bet: St. John's -26.5 (-110)
After opening the season No. 5 in the AP poll, the St. John’s Red Storm have frustrated fans and coach Rick Pitino by failing to win every marquee matchup on a schedule loaded with them. The missed opportunities include losses to Alabama, Iowa State, Auburn, and Kentucky.
St. John’s is 1-4 against Quad I foes (2-3 ATS), and 6-0 against everyone else, although it's only 3-3 ATS.
The Harvard Crimson are solidly in the “everyone else” camp, and will be the second-lowest-ranked team St. John’s has faced, according to BartTorvik. Only Bucknell, a 97-49 victim to the Red Storm, was worse, and only one other team — 108-74 loser Quinnipiac — was even within 90 spots of Harvard’s current No. 221 ranking.
Harvard has lost five of its last seven straight up and five of six ATS to drop to 6-6 on the year. It's lost to Penn State and Boston College in its only major conference tests this season, and St. John’s will be the highest-rated opponent Harvard has faced by over 100 spots in the rankings.
A win over Harvard won’t do much, if anything, to boost St. John’s resume, but a loss would be an unmitigated disaster, and a tight game would be another shot to the team’s rapidly dwindling confidence.
Pitino has been using a tough-love approach, hoping the veteran team would respond to the challenge. It seems like a safe bet against a team that doesn’t know what it’s in for.
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Harvard vs St. John’s same-game parlay
St. John’s has gone Under in its last five games and seven of nine. That’s misleading, however. This is the lowest total cutoff the Red Storm has faced this season. In its last 10 games, St. John’s has had six Over/Under cutoffs in the 150s, one in the 160s, and two in the 170s.
St. John’s has been slow to get started against overmatched opponents, scoring more points in the second half than the first in four of their five games against Quad III and IV foes. They scored 54 points in each half against Quinnipiac. Harvard, meanwhile, led its highest-ranked foe, Penn State, at the half before faltering after the break.
Harvard vs St. John’s SGP
- St. John's -26.5
- Over 147.5
- Harvard 1st half +15.5
Our beyond the arc SGP: Slow start for Storm
Only one team has scored more than 42 points in the first half against Harvard this season, and the Crimson have held opponents to 42 or less in the last 10 halves they’ve played (first or second). St. John’s has scored below 40 in its last five first halves and nine of 10.
Harvard vs St. John’s SGP
- St. John's -26.5
- Over 147.5
- Harvard 1st half +15.5
- St. John's 1st half team total Under 43.5
Harvard vs St. John’s odds
- Spread: Harvard +26.5 (-110) | St. John’s -26.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Harvard OTB | St. John’s OTB
- Over/Under: Over 147.5 (-110) | Under 147.5 (-110)
Harvard vs St. John’s betting trend to know
Harvard has hit the 1H Game Total Over in 16 of its last 26 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Harvard vs. St. John’s.
How to watch Harvard vs St. John’s
| Location | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY |
| Date | Tuesday, December 23, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 6:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | FS1 |
Harvard 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.
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