St. John's vs. Kansas odds, March Madness predictions: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

SportsLine's model simulated St. John's Red Storm vs. Kansas Jayhawks and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 second-round matchup on Sunday

The fifth-seeded St. John's Red Storm meet the fourth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament East Region on Sunday. St. John's defeated Northern Iowa 79-53 in the first round on Friday, while Kansas outlasted California Baptist 68-60. The Red Storm (29-6), who won the Big East at 18-2 and earned the conference tournament title, have won seven games in a row. The Jayhawks (24-10), who tied for third in the Big 12 at 12-6, have won three of their last four.

Tip-off from Viejas Arena in San Diego is set for 5:15 p.m. ET. Kansas leads the all-time series 9-5, including a 95-75 win in 2021. The Johnnies are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Kansas vs. St. John's odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 144.5. Before making any St. John's vs. Kansas picks, check out the St. John's vs. Kansas predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. 

Now, the model has simulated St. John's vs. Kansas 10,000 times and just revealed its college basketball picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college basketball odds and college basketball lines for Kansas vs. St. John's:

St. John's vs. Kansas spread:    

St. John's -3.5

St. John's vs. Kansas over/under:    

144.5 points

St. John's vs. Kansas money line:    

St. John's -172, Kansas +143

St. John's vs. Kansas picks:    

St. John's vs. Kansas TV:

CBS

Top St. John's vs. Kansas predictions

After 10,000 simulations of St. John's vs. Kansas, SportsLine's model is going Under on the total (144.5 points). The Under has hit in nine of the last 10 St. John's games, and in seven of the last 10 Kansas games. St. John's is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games. Kansas, meanwhile, is 4-6 ATS in its last 10.

The model projects the Red Storm to have three players score 11.2 points or more, including Zuby Ejiofor, who is projected to score 15.4 points. The Jayhawks are projected to have four players score 12 points or more, led by Darryn Peterson, who is projected to score 19.3 points. The model is projecting 144 combined points. You can get the spread pick at SportsLine.

How to make Kansas vs. St. John's picks

Now, the model simulated every possession of St. John's vs. Kansas 10,000 times and says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Kansas vs. St. John's, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the St. John's vs. Kansas spread to back, all from the advanced model that just simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.