Saturday afternoon features a great college basketball tilt as the St. John’s Red Storm and the Kentucky Wildcats meet in the CBS Sports Classic from State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Rick Pitino is 18-4 all-time when facing off against former players, and he will try to improve on that when he takes on Mark Pope — a big man from his 1995-96 national championship team at Kentucky. But my St. John’s vs. Kentucky predictions believe it won’t be easy to do in “Cat-lanta” with what will feel like a home game with Big Blue Nation out in force.
Here are my free college basketball picks for Saturday, December 20.
St. John’s vs Kentucky prediction
St. John’s vs Kentucky best bet: Under 155.5 (-110)
The St. John’s Red Storm love to play at a high pace, with an adjusted tempo that ranks 45th in the nation according to Bart Torvik. It’s led to high-scoring affairs against Quad-1 such as Alabama, Iowa State, and Auburn.
But tempo may not lead to as many points against the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Red Storm thrive at getting to the free-throw line, ranking 10th in both attempts and makes per game from the charity stripe. This Kentucky team defends the rim fairly well, and does so without fouling. The Wildcats rank 58th in FT rate against, 16th in eFG% defense, and 37th in shooting percentage inside the arc.
They also rank 16th in rebound rate, which will negate the second-chance opportunities the Johnnies rely on. And that’s without Jayden Quaintance, the lanky 6-foot-10 forward who is expected to make his season debut from injury on Saturday.
At the other end, the Wildcats are struggling to consistently hit from outside, posting a 23.8% mark in five games against Q1 teams. St. John’s defends the rim well — although the Red Storm’s abysmal defensive rebound rate often means they must defend it multiple times per trip.
Those struggles amplify when the Wildcats employ their best defensive unit, which includes Mouhamed Dioubate and Kam Williams. But Dioubate should do well on the offensive glass, which will extend Kentucky possessions and burn some clock.
Much like the 72-60 win over Indiana last week and the 67-64 defeat to North Carolina, I’m expecting the Wildcats to rely on their best defensive lineup — but it’s a lineup that struggles to score points. That will keep the total low as the Under cashes for the fifth straight time for the Johnnies.
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St. John’s vs Kentucky same-game parlay
Kentucky’s defense allows one of the highest assist rates in all of college basketball, despite defending fairly well overall. Oziyah Sellers has registered multiple assists in three of his last four games, and averages 2.1 per game on the year.
After hitting just six triples in his first six games, Joson Sanon has found his shooting touch from outside. He’s connected on 10 of his 21 attempts from downtown in the last four outings for the Johnnies, and goes against a Kentucky defense that ranks 254th in 3-point rate against.
St. John’s vs Kentucky SGP
- Under 155.5
- Oziyah Sellers Over 1.5 assists
- Joson Sanon 2+ made threes
Our beyond the arc SGP: Fewer boards for Moreno
Only once in Malachi Moreno's five games against Q1 opponents has he managed more than five rebounds.
St. John’s vs Kentucky SGP
- Under 155.5
- Oziyah Sellers Over 1.5 assists
- Joson Sanon 2+ made threes
- Malachi Moreno Under 5.5 rebounds
St. John’s vs Kentucky odds
- Spread: St. John’s -2.5 | Kentucky +2.5
- Moneyline: St. John’s -150 | Kentucky +125
- Over/Under: Over 155.5 | Under 155.5
St. John’s vs Kentucky betting trend to know
St. John's has hit the Under in 21 of their last 35 games (+6.70 Units / 17% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for St. John’s vs. Kentucky.
How to watch St. John’s vs Kentucky
| Location | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA |
| Date | Saturday, December 20, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 12:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | CBS |
St. John’s vs Kentucky 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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