#5 St. John’s vs. #1 Duke Picks and Predictions: Sweet 16
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Thu Mar 26, 2026, 8:00 pm ET
Read Time: 6 minutes
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Rick Pitino is two wins away from being back in the Final Four for the first time since he won it all with Louisville in 2013. Sure that was vacated, but we all recognize the greatness that is Ricky P. The Hall of Famer leads his No. 5 ranked St. John's Red Storm against the No. 1 overall seed, the Duke Blue Devils, in Washington D.C. this weekend. Can they Johnnies find a way to stay hot and take down the Dukies? Let's get into our favorite picks and find out.
Check out our March Madness Betting Guide to get in on all the action this month!
Best Bet: St. John's 1H +3 (-115) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
#5 St. John's Red Storm vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils NCAA Basketball Insights
Will the Johnnies stay hot and beat Duke? Or do the Blue Devils roll into the Elite Eight in the East Region?
Both teams played very battle tested schedules throughout the year to get to this point, but both played in weaker conferences as well. How did that prepare them for the Big Dance? Well, Duke has certainly played with their food early on. They barely squeaked out a win against the Siena Saints in the Round of 64, and let TCU hang around for far too long in the Round of 32. If they mess around with St. John's, they will lose straight up.
The Johnnies might be the hottest team in college hoops. They have won 21 of their last 22 games overall, with their only loss coming against the UConn Huskies in Hartford. During that stretch, they are also 15-7 against the spread, which shows they are exceeding expectations. Can they keep it up and find a way to upset Duke?
Matchup Information – St. John's vs. Duke – March 27
- Venue & Location: Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
- Date: Friday, March 27, 2026
- Tip Off: 7:10 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: CBS
St. John's vs. Duke Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of March 26, 2026 at 7:33 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- St. John's +6.5 (-108)
- Duke -6.5 (-112)
Moneyline
- St. John's +220
- Duke -285
Total
- Over 141.5 (-109)
- Under 141.5 (-111)
#5 St. John's vs. #1 Duke NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Can the Red Storm take down the Blue Devils in the Sweet 16?
St. John's vs. Duke Prediction: St. John's Wins Outright, Over 141.5
Best Bet: St. John's 1H +3 (-115) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
I'm on the Johnnies to cover in the first half, but we are also on the 1H ML at +172. Get in, and get out. Duke has clearly started slow this tournament. They were losing by 11 to Siena at halftime of their first matchup, and despite leading TCU at the break, the Horned Frogs took the lead shortly after. Without Caleb Foster, their veteran guard, the Johnnies might be too much to handle, especially early on before adjustments can be made.
This is nothing new from the Blue Devils. They've started slow in games all season long. Clearly, they know how to close, but the Johnnies will be unforgiving. They have been jumping out to red hot starts against anyone who stands in their path. This team was up 13-0 on Northern Iowa four minutes into the game. They led Kansas 16-7 early on and went into the break up eight points. Despite the outside shooting, which has improved tremendously recently, they just don't stop.
On Friday, I see Duke underestimating this opponent, overlooking the talent the Johnnies have, and letting them jump out to a big halftime lead. Will Duke close it out in the second? Possibly. I don't trust the Red Storm for that long. But Ricky P knows how to start off strong, and I see St. John's doing exactly that.
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Check Out the Other March Madness Content from Betting News
For college basketball bettors, March Madness is the most wonderful time of the year. And at Betting News, we have you covered for this festively fun season with expert picks throughout the tournament from Nate Hornung and Eddie Griffin, consensus picks for every March Madness game from the First Four to the Final Four, a rundown of the best March Madness betting sites, and more.
Also, through our streams and social media channels, you can get even more insight from Nate and other members of the Betting News team, as well as offer your own thoughts and tips for the tournament.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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