Connecticut Huskies vs St. John's Red Storm Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 02/06/26

The headliner on Friday night is the UConn Huskies vs the St. John’s Red Storm, live from Madison Square Garden. This matchup not only features the best teams in the Big East, but it is also the only game with ranked opponents on Friday — and on a slate of fewer than 10 games. In short, every NCAAB bettor in the country will have action on this game — and as of Friday morning, the overwhelming majority of that action is on the Huskies. This is a classic spot to side with Vegas, because Vegas tends to win most of the time in these kinds of situations. Give me St. John’s +2.5.

Both teams come into the game hot, riding winning streaks and clearly separating from the rest of a relatively weak Big East. What is the path for St. John’s to beat a team like UConn that is elite on both offense and defense? Here are the keys. First, pace of play. The Johnnies prefer to play fast, and they will need to speed up the Huskies and play in transition. UConn prefers a deliberate, even slow pace, making you guard while it has the ball and then grinding on you when you have it. St. John’s needs to get downhill and attack.

Second, St. John’s is predicated on elite defense and forcing turnovers. UConn is vulnerable there, ranking outside the top 100 in turnover rate. Third, St. John’s also forces its way to the foul line and UConn plays a physical style of play that doesn’t mind sending opponents to the line (the Huskies rate near the bottom of the nation in free-throw rate allowed). Head coach Dan Hurley is likely to draw a technical tonight fussing about the foul count. The Huskies certainly have plenty of advantages in other places, but when I can see a clear path for the underdog to compete, and when the betting handle is this lopsided in one direction, I want to go the other way. Let’s see if the Johnnies can hand UConn its first conference loss.

UConn vs St. John’s prediction: St. John’s +2.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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