Top-Ranked UConn Seeks Ninth Straight Win, Hosts Providence
Providence vs UConn Betting Tips: Huskies 5-2 ATS in Last Seven
No. 1 UConn hosts Big East rival Providence on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET) at Gampel Pavilion, seeking its ninth straight win.
UConn opened as a 13.5-point favorite and now sits at -13 with -115 odds. The Huskies are also -1050 on the moneyline, with Providence priced +675 to win outright. The projected total is 139.5, with a slight edge to the Over at -112.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both NCAA basketball teams and give our Providence vs UConn betting tips.
Friars vs Huskies 
Day/Time:
Location: Gampel Pavilion; Storrs, Conn.
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Providence vs UConn Betting Trends
The Providence Friars are 12-8 ATS, including 4-1 away from home. Providence has gone Under the total in 13 of its 20 games. Meanwhile, the UConn Huskies are 12-8 ATS, including 6-5 at home. The Huskies are also 10-9-1 against the Over/Under.
Be sure to remember these trends when assessing our Providence vs UConn betting tips.
Still Work to Do for Friars
Providence has won three straight games and is 14-6 under first-year coach Kim English, including 5-4 in Big East play. The Friars are coming off an 84-76 win on Saturday over Georgetown and former Friars coach Ed Cooley.
The Friars already have a few marquee wins on the NCAA basketball schedule, having beaten No. 6 Wisconsin in the Gavitt Tipoff Games on Nov. 14 and No. 9 Marquette in their Big East opener on Dec. 19. As such, Providence is projected to be in the NCAA Tournament, albeit as one of the final teams in the field of 68.
The Friars are a combined 3-4 in neutral site and road games. Last Wednesday, they beat Seton Hall in arguably their best victory away from home.
Bryce Hopkins’ season-ending ACL injury has left Devin Carter as the undisputed go-to guy for the Friars. Carter, a junior guard, has risen to the occasion, averaging 18.6 points to go with 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Senior former Josh Oduro, who formerly played for English at George Mason, is the only other Friar averaging double figures (14.8 PPG).
Providence has covered in six of its last nine NCAAB games and is 12-8 ATS. This is only its second time this season as a double-digit underdog, with the previous instance coming Jan. 6 against Creighton.
That day, the Friars closed at +11 and covered despite a 69-60 loss. As for the Over/Under, the Friars are just 7-13 but have gone Over the total in four of their last five games. Keep that in mind when analyzing our Providence vs UConn betting tips.
UConn Shaping Up as Team-to-Beat
UConn maintained its spot atop the AP Top 25 with a 99-56 rout of Xavier on Sunday. The Huskies moved to 18-2, including 8-1 in Big East play.
No team since Florida (2006-07) has won back-to-back national titles in men’s basketball, but the Huskies indeed appear capable of ending that drought. Thanks to a resume that includes wins over No. 3 North Carolina and No. 13 Creighton, the Huskies are projected to land a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Oddsmakers have priced them accordingly. The Huskies are +220 to make the Final Four and +900 to defend their national title, matching Houston for the second-shortest NCAAB odds. At the moment, only No. 2 Purdue (+850) is considered a bigger favorite.
The Huskies have been favored in nearly every game this season, with the exception of their 69-65 loss to No. 8 Kansas, in which they closed at +3. They’re 11-0 at home and 4-0 in neutral-site games.
Senior guard Tristen Newton is the Huskies’ top scorer, averaging 15.8 points along with 6.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists, but they’ve also gotten solid production from Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer (14.9 PPG), Alex Karaban (14.7) and 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan (13.1). Freshman Stephon Castle — a projected NBA first-round pick — has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games after missing earlier this season with a knee injury.
The Huskies have covered in five of their last seven games and are 12-8 ATS. That includes 6-5 ATS at home.
Handicapping the Game
UConn isn’t just one of the country’s best teams, it’s also among the most dominant. The Huskies rank 28th in scoring (82.0 PPG) and have the fifth-best points differential at plus-17.7. They’ve won their last four home games by an average of 24.7 points and are undefeated at both Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center this season.
Providence could undoubtedly use another ranked win to bolster its resume, and it’s fared well away from home. But three months into the season, the Huskies have proven they’re on another level.
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