The No. 5 UConn Huskies (14-1, 3-1 Big East) and Providence Friars (12-3, 4-0) tangle in a Big East contest Wednesday. Opening tip at Amica Mutual Pavilion will be at 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UConn vs. Providence odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Connecticut is coming off its 1st loss of the season, an 83-73 setback at Xavier Saturday. The Musketeers outshot the Huskies by a wide margin for the game, but UConn did lead the contest for much of the 2nd half. The loss marked a 3rd straight in the against-the-spread (ATS) department: the Huskies had been 11-0-1 ATS until Dec. 20.
The Friars are 7-0 straight up and ATS since Dec. 3. All 7 covers have been by margins of 6 points or more. Providence is a strong rebounding team that frequently operates in the paint and gets to the free-throw line.