Xavier has picked up its game. But St. John's is 4-1 in its last five games, beat the Musketeers, 78-70, on the road 10 days ago and is in a good situational spot.




The Red Storm pose matchup problems for Xavier. The Musketeers had trouble keeping up with the athletic Red Storm in transition during their first meeting. St. John's is even faster and better at home where it is averaging 85 points in the past three games while shooting better than 50 percent from 3-point range during this span.




Xavier is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 away games. This is a tough spot, too, for the Musketeers. Xavier is off big wins against Cincinnati - a huge in-state rivalry matchup - and a 73-56 victory against 19th-ranked Butler this past Saturday.




Now the Musketeers have to travel to New York for their third big game in six days. Xavier hasn't won three in a row since early December.