Marquette Golden Eagles vs St. John’s Red Storm Picks and Predictions March 8th 2025

No. 20 Marquette Looks to Locate Range vs. No. 6 St. John’s

The Big East regular season concludes with a high-stakes battle as No. 20 Marquette hosts No. 6 St. John’s on Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee.

Marquette (22-8, 13-6 Big East) enters the game looking to bounce back from a 72-66 loss at UConn on Wednesday, while St. John’s (25-5, 16-3) has had the week off after clinching the Big East regular-season title last weekend.

Marquette Searching for Shooting Touch After Cold Performance

Marquette’s loss to UConn was defined by a poor shooting night, as the Golden Eagles went just 3-for-22 from three-point range.

David Joplin was the only player to connect from deep, hitting all three of Marquette’s makes from beyond the arc while leading the team with 23 points. The rest of the Golden Eagles were 0-for-16 from three.

Head coach Shaka Smart knows his team has to be better on the boards and more efficient offensively to take down St. John’s.

“I thought we made them miss enough to win, but we didn’t get enough of them back,” Smart said. “You look at the 3-point number… the biggest number there is the offensive rebounds.”

UConn dominated the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds, a key factor in the Huskies’ win.

St. John’s Enters on High Note After Clinching Big East Title

St. John’s locked up its first outright Big East regular-season title since 1985 with a 71-61 win over Seton Hall last Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

For head coach Rick Pitino, the achievement is especially rewarding given the program’s resurgence.

“This was a goal of ours; seeing a sold-out Madison Square Garden again is very rewarding for me personally,” Pitino said. “We’re excited, we need this week to get ready for a tough Marquette, and we’ll get back to the basics of being one of the best conditioned teams in the nation.”

RJ Luis Jr. leads the Red Storm with 17.8 points per game, while Kadary Richmond is the team’s top playmaker, averaging 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. Zuby Ejiofor dominates the paint, leading St. John’s with 8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

On the injury front, St. John’s could be without guard Aaron Scott, who is dealing with a knee injury. He played just three minutes against Seton Hall and is questionable for Saturday.

Previous Meeting: St. John’s Ended Marquette’s Winning Streak

Marquette had won six straight meetings against St. John’s before falling 70-64 on Feb. 4 in New York.

Richmond led the Red Storm with 18 points and eight assists, while Luis added 17 points.

For Marquette, Chase Ross led with 16 points and eight assists, but the Golden Eagles struggled at the free-throw line and from three.

St. John’s shot just 54.8% from the foul line and 18.8% from beyond the arc, keeping Marquette within striking distance until the final buzzer.

Tournament Seeding Implications

If Marquette wins, the Golden Eagles clinch at least the No. 4 seed in the Big East Tournament and could move up to No. 3 if UConn loses to Seton Hall.

If Marquette loses, they drop to either the fourth or fifth seed, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against Xavier on Thursday.

There is also a potential rematch in the Big East semifinals, as a four or five seed could face No. 1 St. John’s on Friday night—but only if both teams win their quarterfinal games.

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What’s at Stake?

For Marquette, Saturday’s game is about regaining its shooting rhythm, controlling the boards, and securing a higher tournament seed.

For St. John’s, this game isn’t just about finishing the season strong, but also proving they can go into the Big East Tournament with momentum as the top seed.

With conference title implications behind them, St. John’s is playing for pride, while Marquette is playing for positioning. Expect a hard-fought battle in Milwaukee as both teams gear up for March Madness.