Michigan vs St. John's Odds, Picks and Predictions: Jenkins Tears Apart Wolverines

There will be some electricity in Madison Square Garden to start your week as the Michigan Wolverines and St John's Red Storm square off in the Gavitt Games.

Something about Johnnie Head Coach Rick Pitino being back in the Garden feels right. There's little doubt he'll have his team prepared when they face off against the talented Wolverines, and college basketball odds have the Red Storm pegged as 2.5-point favorites.

Juwan Howard won't be on the sideline as he recovers from heart surgery, but acting Head Coach Phil Martelli should have the Wolverines ready. They opened the season with a blowout win against UNC-Asheville and followed it up with another against Youngstown State. 

This should prove to be a good game, and I'll be focusing on a certain player to show us what he's made of at MSG. Find out who in my college basketball picks for Michigan vs. St. John's on November 13

Michigan vs St. John's best odds

Michigan vs St. John's picks and predictions

If I'm being candid, Michigan having Phil Martelli on the sideline in the interim role instead of Juwan Howard is a coaching upgrade. 

It certainly makes me pause more on my handicap. It's a handicap that would certainly immediately lean the way of St John's with Howard on the side, but without him, I have to pause. That's because Martelli is a veteran and potential Hall of Fame coach who has seen a lot of basketball.

It has dragged a game that I would have made the Johnnies roughly a 2-point favorite in — not to mention the MSG aspect for Pitino — and made it a coin-flip one. So instead of battling between what side will win, I'm passing entirely and looking at the prop market.

Throughout Pitino's Hall of Fame career, there have been many things he's done well (and indeed some he's done not so well), but the most consistent of them all is identifying your weakness and then exploiting it. The weakness for the Wolverines is their pick-and-roll defense, and that's why I'm grabbing Daniss Jenkins Over 14.5 points as my best bet.

Michigan's P&R defense has been an issue for two seasons now. It finished last year in the Bottom 20% of college basketball defending it and second-to-last in the Big 10. There's little to go off two games into the season, but .91 points per possession allowed off these sets doesn't inspire confidence in its improvement. Jenkins is a quick guard who can stress the Wolverines' D, primarily when screens are run for him.

Jenkins followed Pitino to Queens when he left Iona, and he did it to build stock for a potential pro career and be featured in the offense. Through one game against Stony Brook, things are going to plan.

Jenkins played 28 minutes in the opener, scored 17 points, and got up 13 shots. Had it not been for a blowout, you would be looking at Jenkins flirting closer with the 35-minute playing time market. Either way you slice it, the volume is there tonight for him to eclipse this mark. 

I'll bank on Pitino to get the ball to his most proven scorer on his roster in situations where he can score. I'll also bet on him to identify the weakness of Michigan's defense and exploit it.

My best bet: Daniss Jenkins Over 14.5 points (-104 at FanDuel)

Michigan vs St. John's same-game parlay

Daniss Jenkins Over 14.5 points

St. John's first half 3-way moneyline

+221 at FanDuel

Looking to improve my same-game parlay record to 4-0 to begin the college basketball season, I'll continue with the narrative above.

Michigan is in more of a state of flux, having lost its head coach to a health issue in the preseason. I'll pick Pitino to have his team more prepared out of the gate here and to lead going into the break to complete this same-game parlay.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Michigan vs St. John's spread and Over/Under analysis

I lean to St John's here, but my projections need to see more value in this number. This one should reveal itself quickly, so I may look live depending on how the game flow goes.

There's little to say from a trends perspective here. These two teams last played each other over 15 years ago: last season's numbers mean very little. Michigan is playing a bit differently without Howard in control of things, and St. John's has had a complete overhaul under Pitino of both players and style. 

I'm leaning toward the Over here.

St John's will want to use some periods of high-pressure defense to speed this game up. Hopefully, it'll do that to wear down Michigan later in the game. However, the Wolverines likely have some better athletes on the court than St Johns, so this could sometimes come back to haunt them. Either way, this projects as a game with plenty of transition opportunities, as both are comfortable in those types of matchups. 

Michigan vs St. John's betting trend to know

Michigan has hit the team total Over in 18 of its last 28 games (+6.50 Units / 20% ROI.) Find more college basketball betting trends for Michigan vs. St. John's.

Michigan vs St. John's game info

Michigan vs St. John's key injuries

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic