Connecticut (14-1) @ St. John's (10-5) - January 15th, 2009

By WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

Don’t be shocked if St. John’s gives No. 4 Connecticut a close game or even pulls the upset on Thursday night despite the Red Storm opening as 12.5-point underdogs on WagerWeb.com.

If this game were in Storrs, then UConn likely wouldn’t be challenged, but the Johnnies are a pretty solid team at Madison Square Garden. While St. John’s is coming off a 23-point loss at No. 1 Pittsburgh, it did upset then-No. 7 Notre Dame 71-65 at the Garden in its previous game. And St. John’s is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings with Connecticut at the Garden.

UConn has won seven in a row in the series, last losing in 2002. But the Huskies saw that Notre Dame game.

“They played very well and that goes to show about the conference, how deep it is,” Connecticut’s A.J. Price said. “Any night, you could lose. They’ll be fired up, playing at home, so we have to be ready. All in all, I think we’ve done well. There’s a lot of stuff we can build on and we’re still getting better.”

Forward D.J. Kennedy leads four St. John’s starters who average in double figures with 13.3 points a game, and is also the top rebounder (7.3). But St. John’s again will be without starting point guard Malik Boothe, who has missed the last four games because of a thumb injury. And starting forward Justin Burrell is iffy after tweaking his back in Sunday’s loss to Pitt. Burrell had a team-leading 17 points in last season’s loss to UConn.



The Huskies are playing their third straight road game and are looking to complete their first three-game road sweep under coach Jim Calhoun, who has been there for 23 seasons.

UConn is 7-0 away from home this season, while St. John’s is 9-2 at home. Price scored a game-high 25 points and added seven assists the last time the two teams met (a 16-point Huskies win last January). Jeff Adrien added 20 points and 14 rebounds for UConn. The Johnnies have lost nine straight games to opponents ranked in the Top 5 in the country.

WagerWeb.com Game Trends

* Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
* Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
* Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. win.
* Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Huskies are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games.
* Red Storm are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a SU loss of more than 20 points.
* Red Storm are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 home games.
* Red Storm are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. Big East.
* Red Storm are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss.
* Red Storm are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Red Storm are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Red Storm are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
* Red Storm are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Red Storm are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games.
* Huskies are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
* Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
* Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
* Huskies are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings in St. John’s.

Bet on Connecticut @ St. John's