Butler heads to midtown Manhattan to face a surging St. John’s team on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm have climbed back into the AP Top 25 and enter on a six-game winning streak, while the Bulldogs have won three straight games and are looking to pull off an upset in this contest. Before this game tips off from the world's most famous arena, you will find my Butler vs St. John's prediction below.
Our Butler vs St. John’s Pick
Pick: St. John’s -12.5 ATS PRO
Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
Matchup: Butler Bulldogs @ St. John’s Red Storm
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Broadcast: Peacock
Key Storylines
St. John’s has re-entered the AP Top 25 at number 25 after stacking six straight wins, including a late-game rally against Seton Hall and an 88-83 victory over Xavier that doubled as Rick Pitino’s 900th career win.
In the January 6 meeting between these programs at Hinkle Fieldhouse, St. John’s pulled away to win 84-70 behind a 42-28 second half. The Red Storm and Bulldogs were tied at halftime of that game and it will be interesting to see if this rematch looks like the first or second half of that initial matchup.
Butler’s backcourt scoring, led by Finley Bizjack, gives the Bulldogs a puncher’s chance in most games they play. His 25 points at Seton Hall showcased the offensive ceiling of this Butler team. The continued absence of guard Jalen Jackson, however, trims down their depth to some extent.
Butler’s Finley Bizjack leads his team with 17.5 PPG and Michael Ajayi leads them with 11.5 RPG. St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor leads his team in points, rebounds, and assists. He is averaging 15.7 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Team-wise, SJU averages 85.1 PPG, while Butler posts 83.6 PPG with 47% shooting.
St. John's comes into this game in second place in the Big East standings, trailing only UConn in that department. The Red Storm will try to keep the pressure on the Huskies by getting a win in this game.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
St. John's is 17-11 all-time against Butler.
Butler is 11-9 against the spread going into this contest.
St. John's comes into this game with a 10-8-1 record against the spread.
Butler is 10-9-1 to the over going into this game.
The under is 11-8 in St. John's games going into Wednesday night.
Butler vs St. John’s Model Projection
Score Projection: Butler 72 – St. John’s 86
Win Probability: Butler 32%, St. John’s 68%
Final Thoughts
Both of these teams come into this game with impressive winning streaks, but only one of them will get another victory in this one. I think that will be St. John's, who should win and cover the spread on their home floor. The Red Storm will stay just one game back of UConn in the loss column in conference play and I recommend laying the points with the Johnnies in what should be a lopsided game in New York.
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