Connecticut vs. Georgetown Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Jan. 11

Reed Wallach | Jan 10, 2025

Jan 8, 2025; Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) controls the ball against the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at William B. Finneran Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

UConn is off a heartbreaking loss at Villanova, its first Big East loss of the season in five games. 

The Huskies remain on the road to face Georgetown, who has been much improved under second year head coach Ed Cooley, but is also off a road loss, in this case Providence, earlier this week. Can the Hoyas score the best win of Cooley’s tenure? 

Let’s break it down with the odds and our best bet for this Big East matchup on Saturday afternoon. 

Connecticut vs. Georgetown Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Connecticut: -2.5 (-110)
• Georgetown: +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Connecticut: -145
• Georgetown: +120

Total: 147.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Connecticut vs. Georgetown How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, January 11
• Game Time: 2:00 PM EST
• Venue: Capital One Arena 
• How to Watch (TV): FOX
• Connecticut Record: 12-4
• Georgetown Record: 12-3

Connecticut vs. Georgetown Key Players to Watch

Connecticut

Alex Karaban: Karaban continues to be a consistent threat in the elite Huskies offense, shooting a career best 41% from beyond the arc and providing sound defense as well. The UConn roster has turned over quite a bit after back-to-back National Championship runs, but Karaban has been the key cog through the last three teams for Hurley. 

Georgetown

Micah Peavy: The TCU transfer does it all for the Hoyas, averaging 13 points, five rebounds and four assists this season. Peavy plays nearly the entire game for Georgetown as well and will likely be tasked with chasing Karaban around the perimeter in UConn

Connecticut vs. Georgetown Prediction and Pick

The key in this one is that UConn is set to be without Liam McNeeley for a third straight game due to an ankle injury. 

The freshman is set to miss “weeks” with the ailment and will hamper the team’s overall efficiency. What’s interesting is that UConn has seen a drastic drop on the defensive side of the ball when McNeeley is off the floor, allowing about 19 points per 100 possessions more when he sits and about a point difference on offense, per Hoop-Explorer.

However, I’m still going to go with the under in this one as the Huskies will change its gameplan without its most effective offensive player. 

The Hoyas defense has been much improved this season, 30th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric and ranking fifth in the country in two-point field goal percentage allowed. The team has been burned by unguarded jump shots this season, but the team does an elite job on the interior which is a key to the Huskies motion based offense. 

Further, both teams are owed a bit of shooting regression, each scoring above its expected level, per ShotQuality. UConn is owed a staggering .08 points per possession of shooting regression while Georgetown is owed .03. 

I think we are seeing the Huskies change its form without McNeeley and will fade both offenses on Saturday. 

PICK: UNDER 147.5

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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