Providence vs. St. John's Prediction, Odds for Big East Tournament Quarterfinal

The Providence Friars beat the Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the Big East Tournament, winning by a final score of 91-81. Now, they have to face the Big East regular season champions, the St. John's Red Storm, in the quarterfinal.

The Friars can feel confident heading into this matchup, as they beat the Red Storm back on January 3. St. John's got its revenge on February 14, but Providence knows that when they're at their best, they can hang with the Red Storm.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bet for this massive rubber match on Thursday afternoon.

Providence vs. St. John's Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Providence +10.5 (-112)
St. John's -10.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Providence +350
St. John's -465

Total

OVER 161.5 (-115)
UNDER 161.5 (-105)

Providence vs. St. John's How to Watch

Date: Thursday, March 11
Game Time: Noon ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden
How to Watch (TV): Peacock
Providence Record: 15-17 (7-13 in Big East)
St. John's Record: 25-6 (18-2 in Big East)

Providence vs. St. John's Betting Trends

Providence is 19-13 ATS this season
The OVER is 22-10 in Providence games this season
St. John's is 17-12-1 ATS this season
The UNDER is 19-11 in St. John's games this season

Providence vs. St. John's Key Player to Watch

Zuby Ejiofor, F - St. John's Red Storm

Zuby Ejiofor is the heart and soul of this St. John's team. He's leading the team in four different categories: Points per game (16.0), rebounds per game (7.1), assists per game (3.5), and blocks per game (2.0). He scored a combined 47 points in the two games against Providence this season.

Providence vs. St. John's Prediction and Pick

I hesitate to lay this many points on a St. John's team that hasn't shot well all season. They rank just 196th in the country in effective field goal percentage at 51%. That's well below Providence, which has been a surprisingly good shooting team this season, ranking 48th in eFG% at 54.9%.

St. John's has the far superior defense, but Providence's strength is defending the interior. Three-point shooting teams can put up points in bunches against the Friars, but they've struggled more taking two-point shots against Providence's front court. That will work against St. John's, which is primarily a two-point shooting team.

I'll take the points with Providence in this one.

Pick: Providence +10.5 (-112) via BetMGM

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