St. John's opens as slight favorite vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic

The folks in Las Vegas are predicting a close one on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.

According to our friends at BetMGM, No. 22 St. John’s (7-3) is a 3.5-point favorite to beat Kentucky (7-4) in the CBS Sports Classic. The total has been set at 155.5, which averages out to a projected score of approximately 79-76 in favor of the Red Storm. Of note, Kentucky sophomore center Jayden Quaintance is expected to make his season debut in this one.

That spread is about in line with what the computer numbers are calling for, too. KenPom gives St. John’s a 53 percent chance to beat Kentucky with a projected final score of 78-77, while BartTorvik isn’t too far away from that either, giving the Red Storm a 61 percent chance at the win with a final score of 79-76. ESPN Analytics, however, is giving Kentucky a 51.5 percent chance to pull out the victory. You can view KSR’s predictions here.

Both teams could use this win to boost their NCAA Tournament resumes. Kentucky is just 1-4 on the season in Quad 1 opportunities, while St. John’s is 0-3 with losses coming against Alabama, Iowa State, and Auburn. This matchup will be considered a Quad 1 game. It’ll also be the first time that the student (Mark Pope) goes up against the teacher (Rick Pitino) as head coaches.

Just to quickly brush up on Kentucky’s history in the CBS Sports Classic, a win over St. John’s would put the ‘Cats at 6-6 in this event. The Red Storm replaced UCLA for the 2025 edition. The last time UK played the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta, they took down Cooper Flagg and Duke just last season. Kentucky could use some of that magic again against Pitino’s squad.

Tipoff on Saturday at State Farm Arena is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS.