The battle for the Big East takes centerstage Wednesday.
No. 15 St. John’s faces off against No. 6 UConn Huskies on Wednesday in a big game with massive conference tournament implications.
Though Wednesday’s game is another measuring-stick spot, the two teams know there is a good chance they will face off again in the Big East Tournament or beyond.
Two elite teams will meet at the PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, where Dan Hurley’s group is a 6.5-point favorite against the Red Storm after losing to them just over two weeks ago at Madison Square Garden.
This line has moved all over the place Wednesday as action comes in, with the betting line moving two points in the morning.
The Huskies were 2.5-point road favorites against Rick Pitino’s group on Feb. 6, a game they lost, 81-72.
St. John’s vs. UConn prediction
In the first matchup, we correctly targeted St. John’s as home underdogs, given UConn’s struggles to stop offensive rebounders, which the Red Storm took advantage of in their win.
Pitino’s group grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the game, while also winning the turnover battle 15-10.
KenPom still has UConn as the clear best team in this matchup, as they’re sitting at No. 12 overall while St. John’s is ranked No. 21.
FTN’s college basketball power rankings have UConn rated No. 9 and St. John’s No. 13, respecitvely.
Their betting model is showing value on St. John’s, especially given the line movement in this contest, but two points in one day is scaring me off the scent.
Betting on College Basketball?
The general rule of thumb is that home-court advantage is worth 2.5-3.5 points to the spread, meaning the Huskies should be roughly 5.5-6.0-point favorites in this game.
Previously, I expected a smash-mouth style game when these two teams faced off, and while that didn’t come to fruition on Feb. 6, I see nothing in the numbers that proves otherwise.
Betting on College Basketball?
St. John’s offense still has a lot to be desired in terms of offensive efficency and being on the road likely means worse shooting numbers in this game.
The total for the game comes in at 146.5, and I’ll target the under again as it’s two points higher than it was in their last meeting.
THE PLAY: Under 146.5 total points (-110, bet365 Sportsbook)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
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