UConn vs. St. John's Prediction and Odds (Back Red Storm as Short Home Dog)

Big East action tips off a busy afternoon of college basketball before the Super Bowl gets going later on this evening.

Right at noon, the St. John's Red Storm hosts the No. 24 UConn Huskies from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Both teams come off losses in their previous matchup, with UConn falling on the road at Xavier, and St. John's coming up just short at home to the second-best team in the conference in Villanova.

Which team is ready to avoid a losing streak? Here are the latest odds via WynnBET Sportsbook:

UConn vs. St. John's Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• UConn -3.5 (-110)
• St. John's +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• UConn -170
• St. John's +140

Total:

• 150.5 (OVER -110 | UNDER -110)

UConn vs. St. John's Prediction and Pick

I'm backing St. John's as a short underdog at home today.

It's time for Julian Champagnie and the Red Storm to start getting some big-time wins if they're going to make a run at an NCAA Tournament bid. St. John's sits at just 13-10, but only 5-7 in Big East play. They're in a grueling stretch with three games against ranked conference opponents, but then the schedule eases up afterwards. They need to get some more quality wins on their schedule to have the committee begin to notice some of their accomplishments and deem them NCAA Tournament-worthy.

A win vs. UConn would be a good start. They currently rank 19th overall at KenPom compared to 85th for St. John's. But the matchup could set up well for the Red Storm if they hit shots early.

St. John's plays at the second-fastest pace in the country, averaging 14.7 seconds per possession length. The aforementioned Champagnie averages 18.5 points-per-game while also bringing in 6.6 boards. If he gets hot early, the Red Storm should jump out to an early lead.

As for UConn, they'll rely on their 24th-ranked offensive efficiency to keep pace, while also cleaning up on the offensive glass for extra possessions to slow down St. John's. The Huskies are the No. 2 team in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, while the Red Storm rank all the way down at 334th in defensive rebounding percentage.

The Huskies have been the better team this year, but with such a short line on the road and coach Dan Hurley getting chastised for his criticism of Big East referees in the previous game, I expect St. John's to pounce and catch the Huskies off guard in the early tip.

LEAN: St John's +3.5 (-110)

Follow all of Ben Heisler's betting picks in real-time HERE!