Big East Clash – Connecticut at St John’s
The fourth-ranked Connecticut Huskies (14-1 SU, 5-4 ATS, 4-5 O/U) have won three straight games in the BetUS Sportsbook, covering the spread in each of their last two contests. The St. John’s Red Storm (10-5 SU, 3-5-1 ATS, 5-4 O/U) is coming off an emphatic loss the last time they took the floor and have dropped three of its last four overall.
Tonight, the longtime Big East rivals will each look to pick up a victory when they square off at Carnesecca Arena.
The Huskies are coming off a solid 81-72 win over Cincinnati on Saturday, covering the spread in the BetUS Sportsbook as 8.5-point road favorites as senior guard A.J. Price put up a team-high 22 points to lead four Huskies that reached double figures in scoring.
“I wanted to come out and show I was able to do the things I know I was capable of doing,” Price said. “I came out tonight and once I started making shots early, it just made things that much easier for me.”
UConn shot a red-hot 58.0 percent from the field and equally impressive 53.3 percent from long distance while limiting the Bearcats to just 47.5 percent shooting.
St. John’s lost to top-seeded Pittsburgh 90-67 and failed to cover the spread despite getting a whopping 20 points as a road underdog on Sunday.
Sophomore shooting guard D.J. Kennedy led the Red Storm with 18 points while sophomore forward Sean Evans chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
“That’s the Big East,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “You forget it and get ready to play … (Connecticut) next. That’s our conference.”
Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my in-depth analysis and NCAAB Free Pick.
Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. John’s
Connecticut’ is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games
Connecticut is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. John’s
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. John’s last 5 games when playing Connecticut
St. John’s is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut
St. John’s’ is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. John’s’ last 6 games
NCAAB Odds
Connecticut -12 -110
St. John’s +12 -110
Analysis: While the St. John’s Red Storm are playing at home tonight and recently recorded a very impressive win over a powerful Notre Dame team, this young team has largely struggled recently, dropping four of its last five overall, while failing to cover the spread in each loss.
The Huskies seem to be hitting their stride having won three straight and nine of its last 10 overall.
This spread may look a bit high, but I say the Huskies win and cover narrowly!
