Connecticut Huskies (7-1) vs St. John's Red Storm (7-7)
Game Info: Monday, January 18, 2021 at 5:00 pm (Harry A. Gampel Pavilion)
Betting Odds: Connecticut Huskies -9.5 -- Over/Under: 144.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The St. John’s Red Storm will travel to Gampel Pavilion to take on the 25th ranked UConn Huskies this Monday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The St. John’s Red Storm dropped to 7-7 on the season after being defeated by the Marquette Golden Flashes, 73-71, this past Saturday. St. John’s fought back from a 41-40 halftime deficit to make it game late, however, Marquette was able to hang on for the victory after a game-winning layup by Koby McEwen with :27 seconds left in regulation. St. John’s shot 37.7% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc while Marquette shot 46.4% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. St. John’s was outrebounded by Marquette by a 42-36 margin and forced 19 turnovers in the loss. Leading the way for the Red Storm was Julian Champagnie who had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 2 steals.
On the season, St. John’s is averaging 79.0 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Red Storm are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 34.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, St. John’s has been led by Julian Champagnie (20.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.2 bpg), Greg Williams Jr. (11.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.9 spg), Vince Cole (9.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 apg), & Posh Alexander (9.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.4 spg).
Defensively, St. John’s is allowing their opponents to average 78.5 ppg on 48.0% shooting from the field. The Red Storm have a rebound margin of -1.8 and a turnover margin of 4.7.
The 25th ranked UConn Huskies won their 4th straight game and improved to 7-1 on the season after defeating the DePaul Blue Demons, 60-53, this pas Monday. UConn trailed by a 51-47 margin with just 5:36 left in regulation, however, the Huskies defense was outstanding down the stretch and was able to secure the win after closing out the final 3:36 of the game on a 7-0 run. UConn shot 40.4% from the field and 27.8% from beyond the arc while DePaul shot 44.0% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. UConn was outrebounded by DePaul by a 39-29 margin, however, did win the turnover battle by a 24-14 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Huskies was Tyrese Martin who had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 5 steals.
On the season, UConn is averaging 73.1 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Huskies are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 35.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UConn has been led by James Bouknight (20.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.5 spg), Tyrese Martin (10.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg), Tyler Polley (10.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg), & R.J. Cole (9.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.4 spg). UConn will be without James Bouknight who is out indefinitely due to an elbow injury.
Defensively, UConn is holding their opponents to an average of 61.8 ppg on 40.7% shooting from the field. The Huskies have a rebound margin of 5.8 and a turnover margin of 2.0.
The Red Storm are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Huskies are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games overall and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.
UConn has been great this season, however, there is no doubting that the Huskies are not nearly the same team without James Bouknight available. St. John’s hasn’t been great on the road, however, they do have a solid offense that ranks 64th in scoring offense and as I think the Huskies offense without Bouknight might struggle a bit like we saw against DePaul, I think the play here is to take St. John’s and the points. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick St. John's Red Storm -9.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05