Get ready for an exciting clash as the Connecticut Huskies take on St. John's Red Storm! Check out our expert Same Game Parlay Pick for this matchup.
- Date & Time
- February 21st, 2025
- Teams
Although many people don’t like Rick Pitino, there’s no doubt that he is a tremendous basketball coach. Pitino was hired by St. John’s after a three-year image rehab stint at Iona, and he has already turned the Red Storm into the top team in the Big East in just his second season at the helm. St. John’s is 23-4 and has a 2.5-game lead in the conference with four games left to play. If the Red Storm knock off the Connecticut Huskies on Sunday in Madison Square Garden, it will be very difficult for either Marquette or Creighton to catch St. John’s to finish atop the Big East.
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Dan Hurley led UConn to back-to-back national championships, but there is almost no chance the Huskies threepeat given what we have seen from them this season. UConn finished in last place of the eight teams that took part in the Maui Invitational back in late November, and the Huskies have not looked great in conference play. They fell at home to St. John’s two weeks ago, and UConn suffered a bad road loss to 7-19 Seton Hall last week.
As for the Red Storm, St. John’s is now one of the favorites to win the national championship per the college basketball futures odds. They have only lost four games all season, and those four losses came by a combined seven points. The Johnnies dismantled DePaul in their last game on Wednesday night, and they have looked very sharp on defense this year.
Connecticut Huskies at St. John’s Red Storm SGP
There were hopes that the Huskies would be able to win their third straight national championship at the start of the season with the continuity of three upperclassmen starters. Alex Karaban, Hassan Diarra, and Samson Johnson had been part of UConn’s two previous title winning teams, but the latter two players came off the bench on those two squads. Karaban has been who the Huskies have turned to for leadership, but he is averaging just 14.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG while making 43.1% of his field goals and 33.3% of his three-point attempts.
UConn is thrilled to have standout freshman Liam McNeeley back in the lineup after he missed a month with a high ankle sprain. McNeeley leads the Huskies with 15.4 PPG, and he is second on the team with 6.6 RPG. Although he isn’t the most efficient shooter, McNeeley can get to the free throw line and get buckets.
Solo Ball has been the most effective perimeter shooter on the Huskies by a mile. Ball is averaging 14.7 PPG while hitting 43.8% of his threes. He is one of the four starters that is currently hitting 80%+ from the free throw line, and that’s important as the pace slows down in games come tournament time. Additionally, UConn ranks second nationally in percentage of shots blocked on defense.
Ken Pomeroy’s metrics currently have St. John’s listed as the second-best defense in the country. The Red Storm have an elite interior defense, and they force a lot of turnovers too. Big man Zuby Ejiofor has been one of the nation’s best when it comes to blocks and offensive rebounds, while Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith have been forcing a lot of turnovers.
The Achilles’ heel for St. John’s is the team’s perimeter shooting. The Red Storm are making just 29.8% of their three-point attempts, and the three leading scorers are all making less than 27% of their treys. They do limit turnovers and get a lot of offensive rebounds, but they are in desperate need of a reliable perimeter shooter to emerge.
Injuries and a shortening of the bench are something to watch for the Red Storm in this game. Freshman Jaiden Glover has barely played over the last month, sophomore Brady Dunlap is still injured, and transfer Vince Iwuchukwu hasn’t played more than seven minutes in a game since January 7. That has led to the Red Storm having a six-man rotation with each of those players averaging at least 26.2 MPG.
ST. JOHN’S RED STORM VS. CONNECTICUT HUSKIES UNDER
UCONN HUSKIES TO COVER
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