The St. John’s Red Storm will face the fifth-ranked UConn Huskies on Saturday, December 23 at 8:00 PM ET at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The Huskies are moderately favored with a point spread at -10.5 (-110).

 

The Red Storm have won their last four out of five games and are currently on a two-game win streak. In their last win, they defeated the Xavier Musketeers 81-66, with Joel Soriano adding 18 points to the mix.

 

Soriano has been averaging 18.0 points per game and shooting 65.8 percent from the field. He also leads them in rebounds per game, with 10.8. His performance will be key in this game.

 

The Red Storm are averaging 80.1 points per game and making 44.8 percent of their shots. They have averaged 17.4 assists each game, which shows they do a good job moving the ball to find the open man and score.

 

They are giving up 69.1 points per game, which is a solid amount in the point differential. They also grab 41.6 rebounds, make 5.6 blocks, and create 7.7 steals per game.

 

The Huskies just had their three-game win streak snapped, going 3-2 in their recent five games. Their most recent game was a 75-60 upset defeat against the Seton Hall Pirates, where the Huskies barely could score near 30 points.

 

Tristen Newton averages 16.3 points per game and shoots 46.5 percent from the field. He also leads them in 6.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists each game, making him one of the more valuable players to a team.

 

The Huskies have been averaging 84.2 points per game and shooting 50.2 percent from the field. They have 18.2 assists recorded each game, meaning they have no issues sharing the basketball.

 

They are slowing teams typically to 64.2 points per game. They also grab 39.8 rebounds, have 5.7 blocks, and make 6.5 steals happen each game. With this level of defense, they should have a great opportunity to bounce back.

 

MyBookie is showing the betting odds for this game, with the UConn Huskies as moderate favorites for success. Looking at market prospects, the Huskies have an 84.4 percent chance at winning.

 

The Red Storm have a slight chance to succeed here, especially if the Pirates were able to upset the Huskies. However, the Huskies will likely have more pressure under their skin since losing to a team they should not have lost to. Look for UConn to cover.