St. John’s vs. UConn Prediction: Huskies Looking for 3rd Win Over Red Storm

A ticket to the Big East championship is on the line Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The first of two Big East semifinals will feature St. John’s and UConn. 

The Huskies enter the game with two wins over the Red Storm this season. St. John’s played well against UConn, but they could not finish. 

To beat UConn, the Huskies must have a bad day, and their opponent has to be flawless. There is little room for error for Rick Pitino’s team on Friday, but they can pull off an upset if they play their best game. 

Here, we will break down the Big East semifinal and give our best bets for the action.

St. John’s vs. UConn Betting Odds for Friday, March 15

UConn has dominated the Big East Conference all season. They have just two losses in the conference this season to Seton Hall and Creighton. 

The Red Storm defeated Seton Hall in the Big East quarterfinal to earn a third crack at UConn this year. The Huskies are listed as a 9.5-point favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook and -670 on the moneyline. 

St. John’s is +390 on the moneyline, and the total is 144.5. The first two meetings of the season easily stayed below the 144.5-point total. 

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Use our link to place your bets at FanDuel and get $200 when wagering just $5!

St. John's Red Storm vs. UConn Huskies Preview

UConn is so hard to beat because it has championship DNA. The Huskies went into the locker room up one point against Xavier. The Musketeers finished the season 16-17, so Connecticut should have been leading by more at the half. 

The Huskies were sloppy and left many scoring opportunities on the floor. However, they came out in the second half and played their dominant brand of basketball. 

Dan Hurley’s team was physical, and they beat Xavier into submission. UConn outscored Xavier in the second half by 26 points and won 87-60. This dominance was a confidence boost heading into the second half, and it also helped the Huskies with their rest. 

Hurley was able to rest many of his starters in the final minutes. The majority of the second half shouldn’t have been stressful for the star players, and we expect they’ll be ready for the semifinal against St. John’s. 

Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer were the two stars for the Huskies on Thursday. Tristen Newton had 13 points and was 50% from the field. Spencer continued to feed Donovan Clingan in the paint, leading to eight assists. 

St. John’s has to stop Newton, Spencer, and Clingan to give themselves a chance. The Red Storm beat Seton Hall by 19 points to advance to Friday. 

The Pirates had beaten St. John’s twice already this season, and it was clear the Red Storm weren’t losing again. Joel Soriano will be the player who matches up with Clingan in the paint. 

Soriano is a 6’11” senior from Yonkers, New York. He stayed home for college, and it has led to a fantastic career at St. John’s. Soriano is nearly averaging a 14-10 double-double, but he hasn’t played well against UConn. 

On February 3 against Connecticut, Soriano scored just six points and was 2-5 from the free throw line against UConn. He also added just four rebounds to the stat sheet in the 11-point loss. 

UConn is one of the best teams in the country, but they have to play well to beat St. John’s. The Red Storm have shown they can hang with the Huskies, but Connecticut has shut the door down the stretch.

We expect a similar result on Friday because of all the talented players on UConn’s roster. Connecticut has many players we trust to make big shots, but the same can’t be said for St. John’s. 

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St. John's Red Storm vs. UConn Huskies Prediction and Betting Pick

UConn is so hard to beat because they never quit. The Huskies' worse performance is better than many team’s best. We saw them respond after a terrible first half in the quarterfinal.

Connecticut should carry the momentum from the second half on Thursday right into the opening tip against St. John’s. Lay the points with Connecticut. 

• St. John’s Red Storm vs. UConn Huskies Pick: UConn -9.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook

How to Watch St. John's vs. UConn

• When: Friday, March 15th @ 5:30 PM ET

• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

• TV: FOX

• Streaming: FOX Sports App

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