#15 Alabama vs. #5 St. John’s Picks and Predictions: The Tide Rolls into Madison Square Garden

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Rick Pitino and St. John's host the Crimson Tide at Madison Square Garden - Alabama St. John's Picks

Thank goodness the best College Hoops matchup on Saturday is on FS1 so us Youtube TV customers can enjoy the contest. A big middle finger to the greedy four letter network and Mickey Mouse for holding their programming hostage, keeping all of us consumers from enjoying the thing we love most… sports. Regardless, there’s a top 15 matchup at Madison Square Garden between Alabama and St. John’s and we’ve got our favorite picks.

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#15 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #5 St. John’s Red Storm NCAA Basketball Insights

Look at my man Dylan Darling in that photo. The transfer from Idaho State (my CBB Sweetheart last season) got involved in 17 minutes off the bench for the Johnnies in their first matchup, adding six points, six assists, four boards and three steals with just one turnover. The rest of the team is stacked. They put up 108 points against Quinnipiac, with five different players going for double figures. Dillon Mitchell led the team in minutes, points, boards and steals, going for 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals in 26 minutes of game time. But they’ll have their hands full against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide beat up on North Dakota in Tuscaloosa, scoring 91 points. They shot less than 30% from beyond the arc, but still had four double digit scorers and two more with nine points. Labaron Philon Jr. led the way with 22 and eight assists, shooting 69% from the field. The Tide got to the free throw line plenty, and will likely need to do the same to keep up with this St. John’s squad.

Matchup Information – Alabama vs. St John’s – November 8

  • Venue & Location: Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
  • Date: Saturday, November 8, 2025
  • Kick Off: 12:00 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: FS1

Alabama vs. St. John’s Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of November 7, 2025 at 5:58 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code BNBOL55 for a 55% deposit bonus. BetOnline offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.

Spread

  • Alabama +6 (-110)
  • St. John’s -6 (-110)

Total

  • Over 171.5 (-110)
  • Under 171.5 (-110)

#15 Alabama vs. #5 St. John’s NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions

Can Alabama find a way to slow down the Red Storm at Madison Square Garden? Alabama St. John's Picks

Can Alabama find a way to slow down the Red Storm at Madison Square Garden?

Alabama vs. St. John’s Prediction: St John’s Wins and Covers, Over 171.5

Best Bet: Alabama/St. John’s Over 171.5 (-110) BetOnline

Full transparency, Colby Marchio and I snagged 168.5 as soon as this number dropped, and if you tuned in to Up Your Units every weekday at noon eastern, you would’ve been able to as well. Nevertheless, I still believe this is playable, as I think we see north of 175 points in this matchup at MSG this Saturday.

We have two very fast teams that love to score. Alabama certainly won’t be able to slow down St. John’s, as their defense just isn’t quite there yet, but they absolutely have a shot at outscoring them. Lace up those spikes, because this is going to be a track meet.

Alabama saw 74 possessions in their first matchup, St. John’s had 84. Now, Quinnipiac is a team that loves to run, but so are the Tide. It’s an overs dream. Alabama shot 27 free throws and three pointers in their first matchup, and didn’t do so particularly well. Chalk it up to first game jitters, they are going to be shooting from deep plenty, so they are bound to knock down a handful.

St. John’s had 69 total field goal attempts. They don’t shoot many threes, but they attack the rim and get to the charity stripe plenty. The Johnnies shot 34 free throws, but made just 22 of them. Rick Pitino had to have those boys shooting free throws in practice this week, as 65% from the line is not going to win you games against Alabama. Points will be a plenty, and this game will essentially be a race to 90.

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