College basketball picks: St. John's-UConn prediction, odds, spread for January 15

The No. 6 UConn Huskies take on the St. John's Red Storm on Sunday, January 15 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Tip-off is scheduled for noon ET, and the game will air on FS1.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

St. John's vs. UConn odds

Spread: UConn -13.5
Over/Under: 151.5
Moneyline: UConn -1050, St. John's +650

The Red Storm (12-6, 2-5 Big East) had dropped five in a row before knocking off Butler on Tuesday evening. Mike Anderson's “40 Minutes of Hell” system has the Johnnies as the No. 2 team in America in pace, but they're making just 32% of their three-pointers. Senior forward Joel Soriano has been a bright spot, averaging 16.4 points and 12.0 rebounds a game.

UConn (15-3, 4-3 Big East) was at one point the No. 1 team in America via KenPom, but has lost three of their last four. It's an elite defensive unit, and they rank in the top-15 nationally on both sides of the ball by most metrics, but also one that can get bogged down offensively at times that can struggle with an identity. Junior Adama Sanogo still has a chance to make some noise as a national player of the year candidate, averaging 17.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. The post matchup in this one should be terrific.

Over 151.5

The Huskies are scrambling a bit, and while it's not the style of ball they normally want to play, they can use their athleticism to beat back Anderson's relentless pressure. Look for skip passes, lobs, and drive-kick corner 3's in waves from both teams today. A track meet normally favors SJU, but today they'll run into a better version.

  
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