Can Anyone Finally Top UConn’s Unstoppable Reign in the Big East?

Here we are, smack dab in the middle of Super Bowl fever, yet somehow the college basketball world refuses to press pause—thank goodness for small miracles, right? Now, ask yourself: Can a powerhouse like UConn really keep strutting their stuff unscathed, or is there a St. John’s upset lurking in the wings, fueled by their cozy home crowd and an eight-game winning streak? With the Huskies flaunting an almost spotless 22-1 season and St. John’s shaking off early stumbles to dominate Big East play, tonight’s showdown at 8:00 ET promises more than just warm-up action before the big game. I’m leaning heavily on UConn—after all, they’ve faced down giants like Kansas and Florida and lived to tell the tale—but hey, this is college basketball, where anything can happen when the lights are on. Ready to dive deeper? LEARN MORE.

UConn vs. St. John’s, 8:00 ET

I’m back with some college basketball to sprinkle in as we get set for the Super Bowl. Are you personally surprised that this week has been dominated by the biggest game of every year? No, me neither. I’ve written seven articles, recorded a podcast (twice), and looked at more betting markets than I care to admit. But, that doesn’t mean the rest of the world comes to a complete stop. In fact, I think this gives us a great opportunity to get some numbers as the books are monitoring the Super Bowl. One game I’ve got my eye on is UConn taking on St. John’s on Friday night.

UConn is back to being a powerhouse. I suppose you can say they never really slipped away. Last year just wasn’t the same success as the past two which ended with them winning the National Championship. The Huskies are 22-1 for the season, and have dominated the Big East with a stellar 12-0 record. Their lone loss was against one of the best teams in the country, losing to Arizona at home by just four points. For the most part, they are comfortable winners in everything else. That isn’t to say there have been no scares. In their past 10 games, they’ve had two overtime victories, one game by one possession, and another couple by just two or three possessions. The Huskies have had a tough schedule, too. It isn’t hard to believe this team is the real deal, considering they’ve faced BYU, Kansas, Florida, Illinois, and Seton Hall as ranked opponents. Most of those games were close and hard-fought wins, but wins nonetheless.

St. John’s started with rather high expectations at the beginning of the season, and they didn’t do themselves any favors. They somewhat stumbled out of the gate and seem to have since regained their footing. They were ranked 5th in the nation before the season even tipped off. Unfortunately for them, they had a test in the second game of the season, losing at home to #15 Alabama. It wasn’t a blowout or anything. They lost by seven, but losing on your home court is never a good look. In their first seven games, they played ranked opponents three times and lost all of them. The other losses were against Iowa State and Auburn on neutral courts. Neither were ridiculously bad; Iowa State was a one-point game, but they also have lost to Kentucky and Providence this season. Some games it seems like they just don’t have it. However, they have done a good job of winning in the Big East. They’ve run their record to 17-5 overall, and 10-1 in conference play.

When I first saw this game, I instantly put my focus on the Huskies because I do think they are a substantially better team. I’ve been trying to make a case for St. John’s to win it, and the only thing I’m coming up with is that they are playing well and are at home. They have an eight game winning streak with only two of those games being single-digit games. I just don’t see them matching up well enough with UConn to win this. Maybe taking the 2.5 is a good look, but I’ll back UConn at -135 on the moneyline.

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