Play The Total In Big East Showdown

St. John's vs. UConn, 8:00 ET

I've put out two plays over the past two days with one of them being on college basketball, and one of them being hockey. Neither of them have been winners so I am searching for a victory tonight as we head back to the hardwood. I will say of the past two nights, I feel worse about my choice for the hockey play than I do my play in college basketball. I'm going to go for a game between St. John's and UConn. I've already gotten a victory on a St. John's game this week, so let's go back to the well.

If you ask my guy Geoff Clark, he will tell you that St. John's is the best team in the country, have the best defense, and they have a chance to win the National Championship. I have to say, at first, I wasn't really on board with his assessments, but the more I've watched them, he might be onto something. St. John's is 20-3 with an 11-1 conference record. They are playing great basketball and continue to move up in the ranks. I can't fully agree they are the best team in the country, but Geoff also went to St. John's so there is a bit of bias there. What I will say is they have been as good as, or better, than almost anyone in the nation. It surprises me that they aren't ranked higher in the nation. They are riding a nine-game winning streak, but they've only beaten one ranked team in that time - last game against Marquette. For the record, that was the game we won this week. I've mentioned this before, but their three losses this season have been to Creighton on the road, and to Georgia and Baylor on neutral courts. They've had five true road games, they've lost one, had one close call, and the other three they've won by at least 10 points. 

Jan 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA;  St. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) celebrates in overtime against the Xavier Musketeers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

UConn has had one of the strangest seasons that I can remember. They came into the year looking to go for a three-peat. They started the year ranked as the third-best team in the nation, and are now sitting at 19th. They are 16-6 for the season, and three of those losses came in a row at the Thanksgiving tournament. They fell in overtime to Memphis, then lost the next night by one point to Colorado. Day three they seemingly took the game off and dropped it by almost 20 points. After the tournament they won eight straight games, including four over Big East opponents. Over their past seven games, though, UConn is just 4-3. The losses have come at the hands of Villanova, Creighton, and Xavier, with two of those games coming on the road. This really doesn't have anything to do with the game, but I'm also really sick of Dan Hurley having watched him this season. He's obnoxious on the sideline and absolutely wants everyone to worship him. It seems evident to me that he turned down the Lakers job because he wants to be the star over the players. That said, I'm trying to put that aside for my handicapping, but I don't actively root for UConn simply because of this guy.

Both teams are very talented. Road wins do not come easily for any college team. It seems like St. John's would be "due" for a loss, but I can't confidently say that they will lose just because they are on the road or anything. The line is moving in favor of UConn as well, but I'm not taking them. Even when St. John's loses it is a close game, so I do lean toward them with the points. However, I think they are going to go under 141.5 for tonight's game. Both teams are good at defense and I think this will be a strategic game rather than an offensive showcase. 

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