All eyes will be on the Big East Wednesday night as the lone top 25 battle takes place between the #18 UConn Huskies (20-7, 9-7 Big East) and the #20 Providence Friars (20-7, 12-4 Big East). Providence took care of UConn at home earlier this year with a 73-61 triumph.
The conference showdown tips off at 6:30 p.m. EST inside Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. UConn is a 7.5-point favorite, and the over/under total is 142 points.
What to Know – #20 Providence Friars
Providence has won three of its last four conference games and remains in the hunt for the Big East regular season crown. The Friars sit 1.5 games behind Marquette with four conference games remaining. Providence is 29th overall in the nation according to KenPom and 38th in the NCAA NET rankings.
The Friars rank third in the conference in scoring, averaging 78.9 points per game thanks to 46.4% shooting from the floor and 34.9% shooting from beyond the arc. On defense, Providence holds opponents to 69.6 ppg, 42.9% shooting from the field, and 31.3% from the 3-point line.
This season the Friars are 17-10 against the spread and 7-3 ATS on the road. Recent trends point out that Providence is just 1-4 ATS over its previous five matchups on the road against UConn.
What to Know – #18 UConn Huskies
The Huskies chances of a conference regular season title are dashed, but UConn looks to close out the regular season and improve their resume heading into tournament play. With four games remaining on the regular season slate, the Huskies sit 4.5 games back of the Big East leader. KemPom loves the Huskies, ranking them 6th overall, while the NET rankings are also high on UConn, spotting them eighth.
Offensively, the Huskies are right behind Providence in the conference in scoring, pouring in 78.0 ppg. UConn connects on 45.2% of their shots from the floor and hits 35.2% of their attempts from deep. UConn’s defense is the best in the Big East, limiting opponents to 64.3 ppg, 40.9% shooting from the field, and 29.3% shooting from three.
UConn is 16-11 ATS this year with a home record of 9-6 ATS. The Huskies haven’t covered the spread in their last five games played on Wednesdays.
The Pick is In
The Friars are knocking on the door of the top spot in the league and come into the battle with back-to-back victories over Creighton and Villanova. Providence has dropped its last two on the road, but the wins over two quality opponents have the Friars heading in the right direction.
UConn has shown flashes all season of a team that could make a deep run into March, but the inconsistent play has plagued the Huskies. While UConn gets the Friars at home, this number seems a bit too high. Jump on this number now before it drops.
The Pick: #20 Providence Friars +7.5
