#14 St. John’s vs. #16 Iowa State Picks and Predictions: Players Era Festival in Las Vegas

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Wake up, ladies and gentlemen. Feast week is here. The week prior to Thanksgiving is absolutely full of multi-team events (MTEs) all over the country, including the Maui Invitational and the Battle 4 Atlantis. However one tournament in Sin City is only in it’s second year, but are already putting themselves on the map. In Las Vegas, the Players Era Festival will feature 18 teams, and two of the several ranked participants go head to head today to kick things off, as the No. 14 St. John’s Red Storm take on the No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones. Let’s get into our favorite picks.

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#14 St. John’s Red Storm vs. #16 Iowa State Cyclones NCAA Basketball Insights

Tamin Lipsey leads the Cyclones this college hoops season - St. John's Iowa State Picks

Tamin Lipsey leads the Cyclones this college hoops season

Now, this tournament’s format is interesting. There are 18 total teams, each playing two preset games on Monday and Tuesday. After that, there are only five extra games, meaning eight teams will go home after two contests while the other 10 get another shot at some hardware. After two games, teams are all put on the same table, sorted by record first, but then point differential.

So, mathematically, we should have six 6-0 teams, six 1-1 teams, and six 0-2 teams. However, just the top two teams in terms of point differential will meet in the Players Era Festival Championship, with the next two highest teams meeting in the consolation game. After that, the next six teams on the table will be paired up to play a third game of their own, while the bottom eight get sent home.

The point of all of that? Point differential matters in these first two games. Teams have all the motivation to run up the score, even if they are winning big, and they are encouraged to play defense for the entire 40 minutes.

Matchup Information – St. John’s vs. Iowa State – November 24

  • Venue & Location: Michelob ULTRA Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
  • Date: Monday, November 24, 2025
  • Kick Off: 4:30 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: truTV

St. John’s vs. Iowa State Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of November 24, 2025 at 10:11 a.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

  • St. John’s +2 (-105)
  • Iowa State -2 (-115)

Moneyline

  • St. John’s +118
  • Iowa State -138

Total

  • Over 159.5 (-110)
  • Under 159.5 (-110)

Both of these teams absolutely love to run, and given the format of the tournament, I think we see tons of points. However, this total has ticked down about half a point, and both of these defenses are absolutely phenomenal. Sure, everyone will want to run up the score on their foes, but winning the game is still the most important thing. So who comes out on top in this one?

#14 St. John’s vs. #16 Iowa State NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions

Momcilovic is third in scoring for the Cyclines, putting up 15.3 points on just 10 field goal attempts - St. John's Iowa State Picks

Momcilovic is third in scoring for the Cyclines, putting up 15.3 points on just 10 field goal attempts

St. John’s vs. Iowa State Prediction: St. John’s Wins Outright, Over 159.5

Best Bet: Milan Momcilovic Over 13.5 Points (-105) BetOnline

All we need is 14 points from the 6’8″ forward for Iowa State. He’s cleared this in two of four games so far this year, putting up double digits three separate times and almost going for 30 in his first outing of the season. Despite these defenses being top tier, there are going to be plenty of possessions to go around. The Cyclones should be looking to get this guy going early and often.

He’s taken a minimum of five three point attempts in every game this year, shooting over 43% from deep so far this year. Momcilovic is on the floor plenty and he’s out there to shoot the ball and put points on the board for his team. While St. John’s does have the bodies to matchup with him, Milan will likely have either a smaller defender on him, or a slower one. Either way, he’s a nightmare to try and guard when he’s motivated to get to the hoop.

I think he is more than capable of putting up 15 points for us (we only need 14) in this game that should sail over the number.

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