The Providence Friars take on the St. John's Red Storm in New York, NY. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on FOX.
St. John's is favored by 12.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1000. The total is set at 168.5 points.
Here’s my Providence vs. St. John's prediction and college basketball picks for January 3, 2026.
Providence vs St. John's Prediction
My Pick: Over 168.5 (Play to 169.5)
My Providence vs St. John's best bet is on the over. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Providence vs. St. John's Odds
| Providence Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 168.5 -110 / -110 | +640 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -110 | 168.5 -110 / -110 | -1000 |
- Providence vs St. John's spread: St. John's -12.5
- Providence vs St. John's over/under: 168.5 points
- Providence vs St. John's moneyline: Providence +640, St. John's -1000
Providence vs St. John's College Basketball Betting Preview
Providence Basketball
Providence and St. John's both finished non-conference play at 7-4, but the Friars enter this matchup looking for their first Big East win.
The Friars fell 113-110 in double overtime to Butler and then 72-67 to Seton Hall. They'll now head to Madison Square Garden to take on a longtime rival as well as former Friars head coach Rick Pitino.
The Friars are averaging just under 90 points per game and a quartet of newcomers are leading the way.
Vanderbilt transfer Jason Edwards leads the team with at 18.5 points per game, and he's occasionally in a sixth-man role. He already has six 20-point games this season, including 32 at Butler.
UCF transfer Jaylin Sellers is averaging 16.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43.3% from deep and 91.7% from the foul line.
True freshmen Stefan Vaaks and Jamier Jones are each averaging over 10 points per game, while Vaaks leads the team with 34 3-pointers on the season.
With one made 3 from Sellers, he'll join Vaaks and Edwards with at least 30 triples on the season. The Friars are a solid 3-point shooting team at 35.1% as a group. However, they give up even more at the other end.
Providence is 322nd in 3-point percentage defense and surrenders 10.1 3-pointers per game. Defense hasn't been a strong suit for Kim English's squad this season, as it ranks 162nd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Friars don't force many turnovers and also will be at a disadvantage on the glass in this one, as it ranks 197th in offensive rebounding percentage and 209th in defensive rebounding percentage.
St. John's Basketball
St. John's was the preseason favorite to win the Big East. While Dan Hurley and his Huskies will certainly have something to say about that, St. John's is on the right path with its play on both ends (23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency, 26th in adjusted defensive efficiency).
St. John's may be able to control this game on the glass, as it ranks 22nd in offensive rebounding percentage and gets a favorable matchup.
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor will lead those efforts, as 3.2 of his 7.4 rebounds per game come on the offensive end. He's also averaging over 14 points per game for the second consecutive season.
While RJ Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond gone, this season's group is more balanced and better from the perimeter. Ejiofor leads six players averaging at least 9.2 points per game. That includes former Friar Bryce Hopkins (13.3 PPG), who will be taking on his former team for the first time.
Additionally, Ian Jackson, Oziyah Sellers and Joson Sanon are each shooting at least 39% from behind the arc.
St. John's shoots 36.6% from 3 as a team, but the free-throw line has been an even bigger advantage this season. The Red Storm are eighth in Division I in free throws and ninth in free-throw attempts per game, outscoring opponents by 7.3 points per outing from the charity stripe.
Both Ejiofor and Hopkins get to the foul line over five times per night.
Providence vs. St. John's Betting Analysis
Providence leads the Big East in points per game, but it's also last in scoring defense. Friar games have averaged 173.5 points this season.
Meanwhile, St. John's is second in the conference in scoring and has already dropped at least 85 points in eight of 13 games this season.
This affair should also feature a lot of possessions because both teams want to push the pace.
St. John's will look to take advantage of Providence's 3-point defense. In particular, Jackson has made four 3-pointers in each of his last two games and will look to stay hot in this one.
Providence is 9-3-1 to the over this season, and the over has hit in six of the last 10 meetings against the Johnnies.
KenPom projects 172 points for this matchup, so there's a bit of value with the total at 169.5 points.
My Pick: Over 168.5 (Play to 169.5)
