St. John's @ Providence preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 20, 2019 ) St. John's 59, Providence 78

Providence will try to maintain its recent dominance over visiting St. John's and keep the heat on the top teams in the Big East when the old rivals meet Wednesday in Rhode Island. The Friars have won five straight meetings and eight of the last nine, and they would love to keep that trend alive before entering the toughest portion of their schedule.

Following the matchup with the Red Storm, Providence visits red-hot Creighton and No. 18 Seton Hall, hosts No. 15 Villanova and then travels to No. 5 Butler, which already knocked off the Friars 70-58 on Friday. "Butler did what they were supposed to," Providence coach Ed Cooley told reporters. "They didn't play the right Providence College team tonight." St. John's broke into the Big East win column with a 74-67 triumph over DePaul on Saturday. Junior guard Rasheem Dunn scored a season-high 19 points as the Red Storm picked up their first win since Dec. 21 against Arizona.

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT ST. JOHN'S (12-5, 1-3 Big East): Dunn, who averaged 15.4 points for St. Francis Brooklyn two seasons ago before transferring and sitting out a season, is averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and three steals over the last two games. Senior guard Mustapha Heron, who struggled in his first two games back from an ankle injury, had 15 points while making 3-of-6 from 3-point range in the win over DePaul, and his scoring ability can transform the squad. "If he's engaged and he's doing the things that he's been doing all his career, then I think it just kind of trickles throughout this team," coach Mike Anderson told reporters of Heron. "It has a domino effect and guys shoot it with confidence."

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (10-7, 3-1): Senior guard Alpha Diallo scored 21 points in the loss to Butler after being held to a total of 15 over the previous two contests, and he leads the Friars at 14.1 per game. Sophomore guard David Duke added 15 points and is second to Diallo at 12 per contest while making 46.2 percent of his 3-point tries. Senior guard Luwane Pipkins continued a difficult campaign by missing all four of his shots against the Bulldogs, and he has one point and zero assists in 28 minutes over his last two games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Friars sophomore G A.J. Reeves left Friday's loss after getting hit in the head and his status is uncertain for Wednesday.

2. Red Storm junior G LJ Figueroa leads his team with 14.8 points per game.

3. Providence junior C Nate Watson had 21 points and nine rebounds in the most recent matchup, a 78-59 triumph for the Friars at home last Feb. 20.

PREDICTION: Providence 77, St. John's 72