🏀 UConn vs. St. John's Prediction: Big East Championship Odds & Picks (March 14)

Let's dive into our UConn vs. St. John's prediction for tonight's Big East Championship game at Madison Square Garden. The action is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX).

Second-seed UConn is a 3.5-point betting favorite over top-seeded St. John's for this one, but I'm making my case for the underdog. I'm also highlighting a Red Storm player not named Zuby Ejiofor for a points prop.

Just one day until Selection Sunday, so stay in front of all the action with our college basketball conference tournament guide.  

🏀 UConn vs. St. John's picks & odds: Big East Championship (March 14)

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.

Total wagered: 3 units | Max profit: 3.53 units

💰 UConn vs. St. John's prediction & best bet

St. John's ML (+146)

With the Big East tournament played at Madison Square Garden, St. John's gets a leg up from the "home crowd." With its electric defensive play, that's huge. The Johnnies are 12th nationally in defensive efficiency on the year, but improve to fifth when filtering to games since Feb. 1. 

While I'm a bit concerned by St. Johns' lack of offensive firepower, UConn's discipline is a real question. The Huskies are a dreadful 305th in opponent free-throw rate (40.5%) this year, and, since February 1, they are 317th (41.3%). Trust St. John's to win outright at +146 (40.6%) on FanDuel.

Score prediction: St. John's 74 - UConn 68

🔥 Best UConn vs. St. John's player prop bet

Bryce Hopkins Over 11.5 points (-115)

I wasn't expecting to feature an Over in this section, but with DraftKings charging only -115 (53.5%) for Hopkins to go Over 11.5 points, I simply must. Hopkins has been a steady contributor during the Big East tournament with 13.5 points per contest. Importantly, that's with five free-throw attempts per game.

UConn fouled Hopkins plenty in the first meeting between these teams, giving him nine three-throw attempts en route to a 14-point performance. The Huskies held him to only eight points (and two free-throw attempts) in their next meeting, but Hopkins took a season-high 14 shots in that one as Dan Hurley's defense focused on Zuby Ejiofor. 

Back Hopkins for another solid day of offensive output on Saturday.

🚀 UConn vs. St. John's same-game parlay

We're waiting on FanDuel to open UConn vs. St. John's player prop lines, so the best value on the market for this same-game parlay can be found at bet365. We're trusting the Johnnies and Hopkins to deliver while fading Solo Ball amidst a dreadful Big East tournament run. 

💡 How I'm betting UConn vs. St. John's

Follow all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions this season.

I'm sticking to St. John's moneyline for this one, but adding some action on Bryce Hopkins' points isn't a bad idea, either. I project a physical game, which may produce more fouls (and, therefore, points) than a typical bout between these teams, generally to the benefit of the Johnnies.

Trust the Johnnies for either enough to profit one unit (just under 0.75u) or, if you're feeling confident, two (a little less than 1.5u). 

📊 Live UConn vs. St. John's odds: Big East Championship

The spread for tonight's action opened at UConn -3.5 before quickly getting bid down to -2.5. Since then, the number has ticked back over 3.5 ever so slightly, with most books juicing the line toward St. John's still. BartTorvik makes the line UConn -3, so I anticipate the spread for this game will hover right around the current price. 

📈 UConn vs. St. John's betting trends

📺 How to watch UConn vs. St. John's: Big East Championship

• Date: Saturday, March 14
• Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
• TV: FOX