St. John’s Red Storm (20-3 SU, 14-8-1 ATS) vs. Connecticut Huskies (16-6 SU, 10-12 ATS)

When: Friday, February 7th, 8:00 PM (ET)

Where: Gampel Pavilion, CT, Storrs

TV: FOX

Point Spread: STJOHN +1.5/UCONN -1.5

Total: 141.5

Money Line: St. John’s Red Storm +112/-137

Notable Injuries

Red Storm

• Brady Dunlap (Out) Hand

Huskies

• Hassan Diarra (Questionable) Undisclosed
• Aidan Mahaney (Questionable) Quad/Knee
• Ahmad Nowell (Out) Ankle

Recent Form

St. John’s Red Storm Recent Game/Games

St. John’s improved to 20-3 this season with a 70-64 home win over Marquette on Tuesday. The Red Storm, who were -2.5 favorites, covered the spread. The total points of 134 fell short of the 148.5 O/U line.

St. John’s trailed 31-30 at halftime but turned things around in the 2nd half, outscoring Marquette 40-33 to secure the win.

Connecticut Huskies Recent Game/Games

Connecticut improved to 16-6 on the season with a 77-69 road win over Marquette on Saturday. The Huskies entered the game as +6.5 point underdogs and not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread.

UConn took control early, leading 42-29 at halftime. Although they allowed 40 points in the second half, they managed to score 35 points of their own to secure the win. The total points for the game hit 146, just over the 143.5 O/U line.

Analysis

St. John’s managed to put up 70 points in their last game, shooting 41.7% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 43.3%, with a 50% success rate on two-point attempts (22/44). However, they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 3 of 16 threes for an 18.8% shooting percentage.

At the free-throw line, the Red Storm shot 54.8%, connecting on 17 of 31 attempts. They grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and dished out 13 assists. Kadary Richmond led the way with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, while RJ Luis Jr. also contributed 11 boards to go along with his 17 points.

St. John’s defense held their opponent to 64 points, allowing them to shoot 41% from the field on 25/60 shooting. Inside the arc, the opposition connected on 50% of their two-point attempts, going 22/44.

From beyond the arc, St. John’s limited their opponent to just 3/16 shooting, or 18%. The opposition also struggled from the free-throw line, hitting only 17/31 for 54%. St. John’s gave up 21 offensive rebounds.

Connecticut’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 77 points with a field goal percentage of 59.5% (25/42). They were especially lethal from beyond the arc, hitting 12 of 19 threes for a 63.2% success rate, contributing to an effective field goal percentage of 73.8%.

Solo Ball led the way, knocking down 7 of 9 threes and finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Kam Jones added 22 points, while Chase Ross chipped in 19, hitting 3 of 4 from deep. The Huskies also connected on 15 of 19 free throws, shooting 78.9% from the line.

Connecticut’s defense held their opponent to 69 points on 39% shooting overall, with 25 made field goals out of 63 attempts. Inside the arc, they allowed 18 two-point baskets on 41 attempts, a 43% shooting rate.

From three-point range, Connecticut’s defense gave up seven threes on 22 attempts, with their opponent shooting 31%. They also sent them to the free-throw line 22 times, where they made 12, shooting 54%. Connecticut allowed 17 offensive rebounds.

Betting Trends

• The Red Storm are 3-0 ATS in their three last road games, and 3-0 straight-up.
• Connecticut has played well in their previous five home games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 72 points per game while allowing 68. The team also performed well vs. the spread at 3-2.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Red Storm have gone 5-4-1 vs. the spread. Their overall record in these games was 2-8.
• Through their last five matchups as the betting favorite, the Huskies have a good straight-up record, but their ATS mark is just 1-4.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

St. Johns passed the first test of their tough stretch of games as they took down Marquette on Tuesday. Connecticut’s last game also came vs Marquette, but I think their win was much more impressive than St. John’s. The Red Storm are really dependent on attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line, while Uconn can beat you in a lot of different ways. Look for outside shooting to be the difference tonight and for the Huskies to win and cover.