UConn vs St. John’s Predictions & Odds (Feb. 25)
By Eric Rosales in College Basketball
Updated: February 25, 2023 at 8:16 pm ESTPublished:
- The UConn Huskies are 7.5-point road favorites when they visit St John’s Saturday afternoon
- The Red Storm upset the Huskies last meeting, an 85-74 win in Hartford
- See below for the latest UConn vs St John’s odds, plus analysis and best bets
There’s one stop left on the UConn Huskies’ (21-7, 10-7 Big East) regular-season revenge tour, before the focus shifts to postseason play.
They’ll look to even up the season series with the St John’s Red Storm (17-12, 7-11 Big East), a team that handed the 18th-ranked Huskies — a darkhorse in the 2023 NCAA Championship odds — arguably their worst defeat of the year.
St John’s is a fringe bubble team, but a season sweep of the Huskies would give them a pair of signature wins vs a team that’s a lock to be playing in March.
UConn vs St John’s Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Huskies | -7.5 (-110) | OFF | O 152 (-110) |
| St John’s Red Storm | +7.5 (-110) | OFF | U 152 (-110) |
The college basketball odds have the Huskies as 7.5-point road favorites, with the total set at 152.
The Red Storm has struggled against teams ranked higher than them in the Big East, with just a 2-10 record. They’ve run a 5-1 record against the bottom-3 teams in the conference.
It all gets underway Saturday (Feb 25) at 12pm ET from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game can be seen live on CBS.
Odds as of February 24th at DraftKings Sportsbook.
UConn vs St John’s Betting Analysis
The Huskies picked up their fifth win in the last six games, downing 20th-ranked Providence 87-69. Jordan Hawkins was the leading scorer in the game with 20 points, to go along with six boards. It’s the sixth time in eight games he’s been the high man for the Huskies.
Alex Karaban had 16 points and eight rebounds, matched by Adama Sonogo’s 16, with five rebounds and three blocks.
The win over Providence marked the third win of the year against a team that had beaten UConn earlier in the season.
JORDAN HAWKINS CAN SHOOT‼️#WeSeason | @golive23 pic.twitter.com/IX5HXKCudr
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 23, 2023
Last time out, they downed the Seton Hall Pirates 64-55, who had beaten them on Jan 18. They also whipped 10th-ranked Marquette 87-72, after a loss to them on Jan 11.
UConn is one of the best defensive teams in the country, holding teams to 64.5 points per game, tied for 37th in the nation. They also limit teams to a 45.3% effective field goal percentage, ranking 11th in the NCAA.
St John’s enters this one having won three of their last four, including their last game, a 79-70 win over the Georgetown Hoyas.
Joel Soriano was one of five storm players to score in double digits, leading the way with 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, while Posh Alexander filled the stat sheet with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals.
David Jones came off the bench to score 14 points and grab a team-high 12 boards.
💪💪
→ Soriano leads the Johnnies with 13 PTS, 7 REB and 2 blocks pic.twitter.com/dcKcaqZNE8
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) February 23, 2023
The Red Storm can go toe-to-toe with UConn in the scoring department, as they average 76.8 points per game, good for 58th (UConn ranks 39th at 78.4). They play with a ton of pace, ranking second in KenPom’s adjusted tempo metric.
Speeding the game up was a huge factor in their 85-74 win over the Huskies. The 77 total possessions was the second-most in a game for UConn all season. That also might have had something to do with the 20 turnovers St John’s forced the Huskies into.
The Red Storm got contributions up and down the roster, with six players hitting double digits, topped by Soriano’s 19 points and 13 boards.
St John’s won the game despite shooting 2-for-13 from distance (15.4%), but they did limit the Huskies to 41.8% shooting for the game, and 8-for-26 form three-point range (30.8%).
UConn vs St John’s Prediction
Aside from revenge, there’s plenty on the line for UConn, who, at fifth in the Big East, have a chance to climb into the top four, which comes with a first-round bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament.
The Huskies have been a solid wager all year, running a 17-10-1 mark against the spread. St John’s is 12-17 ATS on the year.
UConn vs St John’s Head-to-Head
| 18 | Rank | NR |
| 21-7 | Record | 17-12 |
| 78.4 | Points per Game | 76.8 |
| 64.5 | Points Against per Game | 74.3 |
| 52.9% | Effective FG% | 49.6% |
| 45.3% | Opponent Effective FG% | 50.2% |
UConn is just 4-5 on the road this season, going 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games. The Red Storm have had their struggles as well, going just 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.
The real winner in this recent head-to-head is the underdog, who has covered in five straight meetings.
Look for that trend to stop here, and for the Huskies to complete their revenge tour — they’ve won by at least nine points in each of their last three wins.
Pick: UConn -7.5 (-110)
Sports Writer & Editor
Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
