#5 St. John’s vs. #4 Kansas Picks and Predictions: Round of 32
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Sun Mar 22, 2026, 10:30 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Two of the best coaches in the entire sport meet in San Diego for this No. 4 vs. No. 5 showdown in the Round of 32, with a chance to play the No. 1 overall seed on the line. Rick Pitino leads the St. John's Red Storm as Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks meet him on the sidelines. Only one can come out on top, and this one might mean a little more for the Johnnie's big man, Zuby Ejiofer, who started his career in Lawrence. Let's see how our CBB experts are wagering on this game with their favorite picks.
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Best Bet: Kansas +3.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
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#5 St. John's Red Storm vs. #4 Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Basketball Insights
Zuby Ejiofer started his career at Kansas, now he faces them in the Round of 32
Both of these teams had substantial wins in the Round of 64, but things were a little more dicey for Kansas down the stretch. Dominque Daniels of Cal Baptist put up 25 points in an effort to take down the Jayhawks, but he came up just short. Darryn Peterson contributed 28 of his own for Kansas, leading them to a victory and into the next round. But today they will have their hands full, as St. John's boasts one of the best defenses in the entire country.
However, will their lack of outside shooting be an issue in this game? Despite the Johnnies running up and down the floor at will in most contests, could they switch up their game plan today? If I was Pitino, I would NOT want to get into a shootout with this Jayhawks team, as they have the edge with more offensive weapons.
Matchup Information – St. John's vs. Kansas – March 22
- Venue & Location: Viejas Arena (San Diego, CA)
- Date: Sunday, March 22, 2026
- Kick Off: 5:15 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: CBS
St. John's vs. Kansas Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of March 22, 2026 at 10:03 a.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 -3.5 (-110)
- Kansas +3.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- St. John's -172
- Kansas +141
Total
- Over 144.5 (-108)
- Under 144.5 (-112)
#5 St. John's vs. #4 Kansas NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Darryn Peterson almost put up 30 points in the Round of 64 for the Jayhawks
St. John's vs. Kansas Prediction: Kansas Wins Outright, Under 144.5
Best Bet: Kansas +3.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Yes, I am a Jayhawks fan. Sure, I think they win outright. But ultimately I could see this game being settled by one possession. Therefore, catching that plus the hook with the higher seeded team is a go in my eyes. Again, I see the Jayhawks as having a deeper team, more scoring options, and against a Johnnies team that struggles to shoot from the outside, it could be a recipe for a Kansas victory.
The Jayhawks don't force very many turnovers, but they rank top 30 in FT Rate defense, which is the Johnnies' entire offensive strategy. Get to the rim, get a foul called, and knock down your free throws. Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller do a great job of defending the hoop without fouling, which will be crucial today against Ejiofer. I've mentioned that St. John's struggles to shoot from outside. Well today they face the No. 2 team in the country in terms of opponent eFG%. So even if it was their lucky day, I doubt those shots fall with the Jayhawks harassing them.
Give me the Jayhawks to pull out a low scoring battle in San Diego.
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Check Out the Other March Madness Content from Betting News
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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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