Depaul Blue Demons vs St. John’s Red Storm Picks and Predictions February 19th 2025

No. 10 St. John’s Staying Locked in as DePaul Matchup Looms

No. 10 St. John’s (22-4, 13-2 Big East) has put itself in a prime position to secure the Big East regular-season title, but the Red Storm know the job isn’t done yet.

With five games left in the regular season and a two-game lead in the conference standings, St. John’s must stay focused, starting with Wednesday night’s road clash against DePaul (11-15, 2-13 Big East) in Chicago.

Despite DePaul sitting at the bottom of the Big East standings, Red Storm players and coach Rick Pitino know they can’t afford to take their foot off the gas.

St. John’s Continues to Defy Statistical Logic

St. John’s is riding an 11-1 stretch, including a 79-73 win over then-No. 24 Creighton on Sunday, marking the program’s most wins in a season since 1999-2000.

Kadary Richmond, who posted 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals in the win over Creighton, emphasized the importance of maintaining focus down the stretch.

Even though St. John’s has gone 4-1 in its last five games, the offense has been inconsistent, failing to shoot over 40% in three of those five contests.

Still, Rick Pitino remains amazed by the team’s ability to grind out wins.

“I’ve never seen these type of statistics and this much winning — ever,” Pitino said. “It defies all statistical logic, but that tells you how good they are with effort.”

The Red Storm Must Stay Sharp vs. DePaul

St. John’s dominated DePaul 89-61 on Dec. 17, shooting 55.2% from the field, their best shooting performance against a conference opponent this season.

While DePaul has lost six of its last seven games, the Red Storm know they can’t overlook any opponent—especially on the road.

DePaul coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged his team’s struggles following an 85-68 loss to Xavier on Saturday, saying:

The Blue Demons will need a big night from leading scorer CJ Gunn (12.2 PPG) to have a chance, especially if NJ Benson (hand injury) is unavailable.

Key Matchups to Watch

Can St. John’s Maintain Its Big East Lead?

With three of its last five games on the road, St. John’s needs to handle its business against DePaul before tougher matchups against No. 16 Marquette and UConn. The Red Storm defense must keep up its high-energy play, while RJ Luis Jr. (17.6 PPG) and Kadary Richmond (7.2 RPG) lead the offense. DePaul, meanwhile, is hoping to play spoiler and earn just its third conference win of the season. St. John’s avoid a letdown, or will DePaul shock the Big East with an upset?

Tip-Off: Wednesday, 8:30 PM ET
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL
TV: FS1

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