While Super Bowl Sunday has the stage, there are still a handful of quality college basketball betting matchups, including a battle between UConn (16-7, 7-5) and St. John's (13-10, 5-7), which tips off at 12:00 p.m. ET this afternoon.
Both squads are looking to bounce back from road losses whilst jockeying for position inside the bunched-up Big East.
Can St. John's keep things close as they did in the first matchup or will Connecticut get the job done on the road? Read our college basketball betting preview for UConn vs. St. John's to find out.
UConn vs St. John's odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
UConn hit the board as 3.5-point road favorites and has since ticked up to -4. The total opened at 150.5 and has stood pat at the time of writing.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
UConn vs St. John's predictions
Predictions made on 2/13/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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UConn vs St. John's game info
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• Date: Sunday, February 13, 2022
• Tip-off: 12:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
UConn at St. John's betting preview
Injuries
UConn: Akok Akok F (Questionable).
St. John's: Julian Champagnie G (Questionable), Posh Alexander G (Questionable), Rafael Pinzon G (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 7-1 in St. John's last seven games as a home underdog. Find more NCAA betting trends for UConn vs. St. John's.
UConn vs St. John's picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
When it comes to the spread in this matchup, it may be hard not to be tricked by the result of the first matchup. UConn needed a last-second free throw to send the game to overtime, where they cleaned up and won by eight.
St. John's playing the Huskies close in the first matchup aside, UConn is the much better team overall with more talent and depth offensively. They rank 18th overall and 24th offensively according to KenPom (85th, 70th for St. John's).
The Red Storm have struggled against ranked foes (0-5 SU) and the Huskies should come out focused after a tough home loss to No. 15 Villanova.
On top of that, St. John's may be banged up this afternoon in a big way. Julian Champagnie (18.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Posh Alexander (14.9 ppg, 5.2 apg) are both listed as questionable.
While the Red Storm average a 16th-best 79.3 points per game, Champagnie and Alexander account for over 40% of that offensive production. If one or both can't go, the Red Storm will struggle to keep pace with a much more efficient Huskies team, even at home. Expect the line to reflect that if they get ruled out closer to tip-off.
If they both suit up, I still like a re-focused Huskies team to show its class and get a crucial win for their positioning inside the Big East.
If they don't, the Huskies could very well turn this into a blowout. Either way, back the better team on the road.
Prediction: UConn -3.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The total in this game is sitting at 150.5 and I'm leaning towards the Under for a couple of reasons.
While the first matchup went way Over the game's closing total of 152.5, it needed overtime to get there and had a 71-71 scoreline after regulation, a number that would have stayed well Under.
Combine that with the potential absences of Champagnie and Alexander and you have a Red Storm offense that could really struggle to keep pace.
The two combined for 38 points in the first matchup. Without one or both this afternoon, this total might be too much to overcome.
Prediction: Under 150.5 (-110)
Best bet
I'm rolling with the Huskies as the best bet.
They're the much better team and should be eager to bounce back after a loss to Villanova.
The Red Storm have played well for stretches this season but if they're missing Champagnie and/or Alexander, they won't have the offensive firepower to keep up.
UConn won't let this one slip away. Back them.
Pick: UConn -3.5 (-110)
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Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
