The Providence Friars (19-11, 10-9 Big East) host the UConn Huskies (27-3, 17-2) for a Saturday night game. This game was played at the Gampel Pavilion the last time, and UConn emerged victorious. While some things have changed in college basketball since that 74-65 victory, UConn remains one of the top teams in the nation. However, Providence is looking for one final victory before entering Big East tournament action.
Although a win would not secure anything, it could bolster their NCAA tournament chances. Because they are on the fringe right now of making the tournament, they would likely need a deep run in the Big East this year. However, a statement win over UConn tonight would help punch that ticket just a little deeper.
But do you see the Huskies getting their final regular-season win on the road against the Friars tonight?
Providence Friars vs UConn Huskies Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | MoneyLine |
| UConn | -9.5-108 | O 140.5-108 | -500 |
| Providence | +9.5-112 | U 140.5-112 | +380 |
| **Odds Courtesy of DraftKings** | |||
Providence Friars vs UConn Huskies Game Details
- Fixture: UConn @ Providence
- Date and Time: March 9, 2024 @ 8:00 pm EST
- Location: Amica Mutual Pavillion in Providence, Rhode Island
Apex Tale of the Tape
|
UConn |
vs. |
Providence |
| 27-3 | Record | 19-11 |
| 81.4 | Points Per Game | 73.2 |
| 49.5 | FG% | 45.1 |
| 36.5 | 3PT% | 33.3 |
| 38.6 | Rebounds Per Game | 35.8 |
| 64.1 | Points Allowed Per Game | 68.8 |
| 40.0 | Defensive FG% | 41.6 |
| 31.8 | Defensive 3PT% | 33.9 |
| 71.0 | Defensive FT% | 72.6 |
| 29.6 | Defensive Rebounds Per Game | 34.9 |
| 4-1 | Last 5 W-L | 3-2 |
| 71.5 | Team Pace |
69.1 |
Key Stats
UConn Huskies
Connecticut wants to finish the season strong. Although many have them as the best team in the nation, losing tonight against the Providence Friars would at least bring that into question. However, road games are tough, and the Big East, despite the struggles of some teams, is a hard conference to win in. Furthermore, a road loss to this team wouldn’t necessarily be a shock, but it would still be a considerable upset. However, this UConn Huskies team has won four out of the last five. Furthermore, those wins include victories over Marquette twice and Seton Hall. Furthermore, Alex Karaban is coming off a game-high 23 points against the Marquette Eagles. However, he shot five of nine from range, and if he is able to duplicate that effort again, then this UConn team will be in great shape against the Providence Friars.
Also, Cam Spencer shot a slightly more efficient five of seven from three-point range against Marquette and finished with 17 points. But in the game against the Providence Friars, he went a perfect eight of eight from the charity stripe and helped to put the Friars in foul trouble through his play. But the player who needs to step up for the UConn Huskies after his Marquette performance is Stephon Castle. While he struggled against Marquette in their last game, he scored 20 points, doing most of his damage within the arc the last time these two teams met.
Providence Friars
Providence hopes to get a crucial home win tonight. Although they lost big time to Villanova and Marquette recently, they will still like their chances to possibly pull off the upset. However, they face a tough battle with the in-form UConn Huskies team. However, in the last game, they kept the score reasonably close. But this Providence side has fallen off a bit since that matchup. However, they will still hope to put up some points and, at least, make it interesting today. The main person to do that will be Josh Oduro. Because he scored 20 points against the UConn Huskies the last time, he will need to be big tonight as well.
Devin Carter is the leading scorer and was able to put 20 points on the board against UConn as well. Carter averages 19.2 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game, and 3.6 assists per game. Although he is the best contributor for this Providence Friar side, we’ll make sure to emphasize him in their game plan, and they will likely force someone else to step up. However, anyone can have a big day, and anyone can overcome being even potentially double-teamed, so this is the intriguing matchup to look for tonight.
Game Prediction
This game should play out in favor of the road team. Although it is a large spread, this shouldn’t be too difficult for the UConn Huskies to cover. Simply put, this team is in form, and they are better than Providence at the moment. Furthermore, Providence dropped a game against Villanova by 11 recently, while the Huskies are rolling. Their most recent loss was against a good Creighton team, and while an off night could happen tonight as it did, Providence simply doesn’t have the capable scores to capitalize, even if UConn has an off night offensively.
Therefore, I am not only picking them to cover the spread, but I’m also picking the under here. This is simply because UConn can have nights where they are offensively not necessarily on the same page, but their defense should be good no matter what. Therefore, I fail to see a way in which the Providence Friars will be able to score enough points against the UConn Huskies in order for the over to hit.
Final Pick
UConn Huskies -9.5 and Under 140.5
About the Author
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