St. John's Red Storm (14-10) vs Providence Friars (12-11)
Game Info: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 7:00 pm (Carnesecca Arena)
Betting Odds: St. John's Red Storm -2 -- Over/Under: 150 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Providence Friars will travel to Carnesecca Arena to take on the St. John’s Red Storm this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.
The Providence Friars improved to 12-11 on the season after defeating the Xavier Musketeers, 83-68, this past Wednesday night. Providence was outstanding on the offensive end against Xavier and had no trouble pulling away in the 2nd half after taking a 69-56 lead with 6:13 left in regulation. Providence shot 53.7% from the field and 52.4% from beyond the arc while Xavier shot 44.3% from the field and 17.6% from beyond the arc. Providence outrebounded Xavier by a 33-28 margin and committed just 11 turnovers in the victory. Leading the way for the Friars was David Duke who had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, & 1 steal.
On the season, Providence is averaging 71.0 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Friars are averaging 6.4 three-pointers per game on 33.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Providence has been led by David Duke (17.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.1 spg), Nate Watson (16.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg), A.J. Reeves (10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.8 apg), & Noah Horchler (6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg).
Defensively, Providence is allowing their opponents to average 70.0 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Friars have a rebound margin of 0.1 and a turnover margin of -0.2.
The St. John’s Red Storm lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 14-10 on the season after being defeated by the 8th ranked Villanova Wildcats, 81-58, this past Tuesday. St. John’s had no answers on the offensive end against Villanova and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 42-25 margin. St. John’s shot just 36.2% from the field and 13.0% from beyond the arc while Villanova shot 48.3% from the field and 42.3% from beyond the arc. St. John’s was outrebounded by Villanova by a 41-34 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 16-15 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Red Storm was Julian Champagnie who had 16 points, 7 rebounds, & 1 steal.
On the season, St. John’s is averaging 79.2 ppg on 44.9% shooting from the field. The Red Storm are averaging 7.5 three-pointers per game on 34.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, St. John’s has been led by Julian Champagnie (20.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.1 bpg), Posh Alexander (11.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.6 spg), Greg Williams Jr. (9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.4 spg), & Rasheem Dunn (8.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.4 spg).
Defensively, St. John’s is allowing their opponents to average 77.4 ppg on 46.8% shooting from the field. The Red Storm have a rebound margin of -2.2 and a turnover margin of 4.1.
The Friars are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Wednesday games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Red Storm are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
St. John’s was able to defeat Providence by a 92-81 margin on the road earlier this season, however, this is a team that has lost 3 of their last 4 games and has really struggled defensively this season as they come into this game ranked just 308th in scoring defense & 298th in defensive FG%. Providence has been playing better basketball as of late, winning 3 of their last 4 games, and as I think the Friars are a more balanced team and with have more success slowing down the St. John’s offensive attack in this one, I think the play here is to take the Friars and the points. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Providence Friars +2
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05