St. John's Red Storm v Villanova Wildcats - 1/17/26 Preview

Photo Cred: Villanova Men's Basketball Social Media

We have a big matchup today at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philly. Let's dive into the 8pm game between the 2nd and 3rd team in the Big East standings.

St. John's Red Storm

We'll talk about the visitors first. Rick Pitino gave himself several opportunities in the non-conference schedule to earn significant wins, but things didn't go as planned for the Johnnies. They earned wins against Baylor and Ole Miss, but fell to Alabama, Iowa St., Auburn, and Kentucky. Thankfully, the Red Storm have been able to get back to their winnings ways in the Big East, and they sit in 3rd place behind the Wildcats.

After a month of conference play, UConn has continued to flex their muscles and remain undefeated in the Big East. Additionally, Villanova and Seton Hall have proven to be tournament-caliber teams, while Creighton has turned their season around with 5 wins so far in the conference. For the Johnnies, they may be 5-1 in the BIg East, but they've benefited from playing the bottom half of the conference. So far, the Red Storm have wins against DePaul, Georgetown, Butler (who have been very disappointing in conference play), Creighton, and Marquette, with their sole loss against Providence at MSG.

It's been well documented this season that St. John''s does not have a true point guard, which was emphasized by Rick Pitino after their ugly loss to Kentucky. Coach Pitino said the following after that defeat, "That's our fault as a staff for not having a big time point guard that makes people better". Instead, the Johnnies will rely heavily on Zuby Ejiofor for their production, and he recently had 22 points and 7 boards in St. John's 24-point win against Marquette. Senior guard Oziyah Sellers helped carry the scoring load as well with 24 points in 35 minutes.

For the Johnnies, I'd argue that their front court is superior to the Wildcats. Duke Brennan has been a great addition for the Cats, but the front court depth (and bench depth as a whole) is limited. Ejiofor is a high-caliber player, and Bryce Hopkins can still wreak havoc on any given night. If these two players can force Brennan into foul trouble, then it could be a long day for the Wildcats if Braden Pierce is seeing significant minutes in the paint.

Villanova Wildcats

Villanova sits in the 2nd spot in the Big East and they have won 7 of their last 8 games, dating back to their win against Pitt on 12/13. The Cats are also 5-1 in the conference and have wins over Seton Hall, DePaul, Butler, Marquette, and Providence. More importantly, 4 of those 5 wins have come on the road against Seton Hall, Butler, Marquette, and Providence.

The Starting 5 is good enough to compete against any team in the country. Duke Brennan is a reliable big man who does well off the pick and roll and snatches boards at will. Matthew Hodge has developed into a reliable stretch 4, and Tyler Perkins has been a steady, veteran presence for this lineup. Bryce Lindsay continues to be lethal from 3, and Acaden Lewis has blossomed into one of the best freshman in the entire country. However, once you get into the bench, things are a bit worrisome if you're a Wildcats supporter.

Devin Askew is a veteran presence who has been able to relieve his backcourt teammates throughout the season. Also, he has been able to remain healthy despite concerns entering the year. However, his lack of consistent scoring might be an issue for Willard and company down the stretch. In the last 8 games for Villanova, Askew has only scored in double-digits on two occasions (against Providence and Marquette). Thankfully, these were the last two games for the Cats, so he's carrying good form into tonight's matchup.

Willard knows he can rely on his top 6 players, but the depth beyond that is inconsistent. Malachi Palmer earned 24 minutes and 10 points in the win against Providence, but had 12 minutes and 0 points n the 3 point win against Marquette. Braden Pierce has also been involved in the last few games, but only for a handful of minutes. Lastly, in the 4 point loss against Creighton, Askew, Palmer, Stanford, and Pierce combined for 9 points off the bench. Needless to say, Willard needs his top 6 players to remain out of foul trouble and carry the scoring load. Unfortunately, they welcome a talented St. John's team that may force Willard to trust his depth more than usual.

Final Thought

I thought Villanova would lose at Seton Hall and at Butler. I was wrong on both fronts. They've proven to be a skilled team that can beat you from different parts of the floor, and they're led by a confident point guard in Lewis. I know St. John's has lost several big matchups so far this year, but they did almost beat Iowa St. as well. The Johnnies are trending in the wrong direction for tournament conversation, and a loss against Villanova would only further support that argument. I do, however, believe the front court shines for Pitino tonight and they squeak away with a gritty win on the road. We'll see if the Wildcats can prove me wrong again.