St John's Red Storm vs Marquette Golden Eagles Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/18/2026

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Venue:  Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  St John’s -9.5, Marquette +9.5; Over/Under:  156.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  St John’s -9.5, Marquette +9.5; Over/Under:  156.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  St John’s -9.5, Marquette +9.5; Over/Under:  156.5 points

St John's Red Storm:  20-5 (13-1) (2nd place, Big East)

Marquette Golden Eagles:  9-17 (4-11) (9th place, Big East)

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St John's Red Storm:  5-0  last 5

Marquette Golden Eagles:  2-3  last 5

St John’s is entering this game with a 20-5 record overall, a 13-1 record in conference games, and they are 7-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Providence Friars in their last game. Dylan Darling led the team in points in that game with 23 while Zuby Ejiofor was next on the team with 14. Dillon Mitchell led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Bryce Hopkins led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 38.2% from the field, 28.6% from 3-point range, and 70% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 84.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.1 PPG against them. St John’s has an ATS record of 14-9-1 this season and their O/U record is 11-13.

Marquette is entering this game with a 9-17 record overall, a 4-11 conference record, and they are 9-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Xavier Musketeers in their last game. Nigel James Jr. led the team in points in that game with 30 while Royce Parham was next on the team with 24. Nigel James Jr. led the team in assists with 12 in that game while Royce Parham led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 51.4% from the field, 32% from 3-point range, and 72.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 76 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 77.7 PPG against them. Marquette has an ATS record of 8-17-1 this season and their O/U record is 14-12.

The current betting odds have St John's listed as a 9.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. St John's has looked great in their games this season with their 20-5 record overall and their 13-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big East. They have been a great road team too with their 7-0 road record this year. Meanwhile, Marquette has looked terrible in their games this season with their 9-17 record overall and their 4-11 conference record which has them right near the bottom of the Big East. They have looked a lot better on their home court this season with their 9-5 home record, but that isn't a great home record either. Marquette is 2-3 in their last 5 games and they have lost 2 games in a row now. They have looked a bit better lately, but they are off a loss to Xavier in their last one and they have been struggling a lot in a weaker Big East Conference. Now they are facing one of the best teams in the Big East and St John's has finally found a groove lately. St John's entered the season as one of the best teams in the nation and they quickly lost their ranking in the top 25 as they struggled out of the gate, but they have rounded into form now and even have a great win over UConn who has been one of the best teams in the nation all year. St John's is off a big win over Providence in their last one and they have been rolling in their games lately with 11 wins in a row now, starting to look like the team that they were supposed to be coming into the year. Look for St John's to continue rolling in this one against one of the worst teams in the Big East. The best way to place a bet here is on St John's to cover the spread in this game. 

St John's Marquette Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, February 18, 2026 (9:00 pm ET start time) is St John’s 79 Marquette 64.

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St John's Red Storm: 19-9 ATS in road games. 24-14 ATS when the total is 150 to 159.5. 11-4 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 11-4 UNDER when playing against a team with a losing record.

Marquette Golden Eagles: 10-18 ATS as an underdog. 5-11 ATS off a road loss against a conference rival. 2-7 ATS after allowing 85 points or more. 23-15 UNDER when the total is 150 to 159.5.

St John's Red Storm:  H. Tamba (C) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Pohto (G) Out - Hip. I. Suljanovic (F) Out - Knee.

Marquette Golden Eagles:  S. Jones (G) Questionable - Foot. N. Walker (G) Out - Redshirt. I. Miletic (F) Out - Redshirt. S. Pearson (F) Out - Redshirt.

"You're not supposed to come off the bench, but you can't let your players get beat up. You can't fight. Back when I was the Kentucky coach, we fought almost every SEC game, and it was not a big deal. But you can't fight anymore, so toughness has to come between the lines. We were really excited to get a W because we came together without a lot of our players, so I'm proud of our guys.” - Rick Pitino after his team’s win against Providence in their last game. 

“Way too many threes [for Xavier] and too big of a hole that we created for ourselves in the first half. Our defensive effort was better in the second half. And obviously offensively, we were able to get a lot of things going in the second half. But way too big of a hole.” - Shaka Smart after his team’s loss against Xavier in their last game. 

Z. Ejiofor 

B. Hopkins 

I. Jackson 

D. Mitchell 

O. Sellers

B. Gold 

N. James 

R. Parham 

C. Ross 

A. Stevens

PPG: Zuby Ejiofor (16.2)

APG: Zuby Ejiofor (3.5)

Reb/G: Zuby Ejiofor (7.4)

PPG: Nigel James Jr. (15.8)

APG: Nigel James Jr. (5)

Reb/G: Ben Gold (5.4)

Coaches:

St John's Red Storm: Rick Pitino (3rd season)

Marquette Golden Eagles: Shaka Smart (5th season)