The UConn Huskies take on the St. John's Red Storm in New York, New York. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
UConn is favored by -1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -125. The total is set at 145 points.
Here’s my UConn vs. St. John's prediction and college basketball picks for February 6, 2026.
UConn vs St. John's Prediction
My Pick: UConn ML -125
My UConn vs St. John's best bet is on the Huskies to win outright. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
UConn vs. St. John's Odds
| UConn Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -110 | 145 -110o / -110u | -125 |
| St. John's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -110 | 145 -110o / -110u | +105 |
- UConn vs St. John's spread: UConn -1.5
- UConn vs St. John's over/under: 145 points
- UConn vs St. John's moneyline: UConn -125, St. John's +105
UConn vs St. John's College Basketball Betting Preview
This is the premier matchup of the Big East season. These are the top two teams in the conference, in the current standings and by KenPom, NET, and projected NCAA Tournament seed.
This is their first meeting of the season, with UConn riding an 18-game winning streak into this road date at the World's Most Famous Arena.
On a Friday night, with just nine games across the country, and with none of the other eight games featuring a power-conference matchup, all eyes will be on this battle.
UConn Basketball
UConn's current resume sounds like something out of college football, not basketball. The Huskies are a one-loss team, with the lone loss coming at the hands of the undefeated top-ranked team in the country (Arizona) as they mow down a conference without a true challenger.
In a season with a crop of great teams atop the rankings, UConn's dominance feels like it's been under the radar.
I know that the No. 3 team in the nation is not under anyone's radar, yet based on UConn's resume, a 21-1 record against a top 25 schedule and the lone loss coming by four points to undefeated Arizona, we should all be screaming about how Danny Hurley has done it again.
This roster and this season are particularly notable, even on his stacked resume. UConn has no National Player of the Year candidates. ESPN latest mock draft has two Huskies in the first round, but neither in the top 10. Five Huskies average between 11.8 and 14.3 points per game.
Hurley has a tool belt full of ways to beat you, with each player filling a role and each capable of stepping into the spotlight should the moment or the game plan call for him to do so.
There's almost no way to prepare for the balanced, patient, unselfish UConn offense. There's definitely no way to prepare yourself to play the Huskies' defense.
Ranking in the top five nationally in efficiency, UConn's defense is swarming and aggressive. If it has a flaw, it's fouling too much. Yet refs can't and don't call everything, with the Huskies setting the tone for the officials by daring them to use their whistles liberally.
St. John's Basketball
Before the season, Rick Pitino reloaded the roster in the Big Apple after winning the Big East Tournament and earning a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Many expected his Red Storm to remain UConn's biggest challenger atop the Big East standings.
Those expectations shifted after the first few months of the season. A January 3 loss to Providence at home dropped the Red Storm to just 9-5 on the season, without a win over a top-40 KenPom team while losing all four chances to do so.
Since January 3, however, St. John's has skyrocketed back to the top of the Big East. The Johnnies have ripped off eight straight wins, six of which came on the road in conference play.
Some of that might be due to the quality of play this season in the Big East. Right now, Bracket Matrix has just three of the conference's teams in the NCAA Tournament field, with Seton Hall bouncing on the wrong side of the bubble.
Still, St. John's can only beat the teams on its schedule, and the Red Storm have done so. Wins at Villanova, Butler, Creighton and Xavier are worthy of admiration.
The Johnnies are led by a one-two punch of Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins. Ejiofor has manhandled opponents on the interior. Hopkins, after a slow start following a season-ending injury last season, has come on strong.
Those stars are surrounded by a cadre of role players capable of scoring as needed and leading one of the conference's best defenses.
The Johnnies' defense is built around forcing turnovers and winning on the glass, creating an imbalance of possessions in St. John's favor.
UConn vs. St. John's Betting Analysis
It would feel crazy to bet against a team as hot and as good as UConn right now. That's not to say the Huskies have been perfect during this winning streak. UConn needed overtime to beat Providence and Villanova and escaped with a two-point victory over Georgetown.
Walking into Madison Square Garden to steal a win is no easy feat.
On paper, St. John's has some advantages. UConn has had turnover issues in conference play and the Red Storm apply plenty of pressure. St. John's loves to earn trips to the free-throw line, while the UConn defense tends to foul too often.
Yet the more I look at these teams, the more I can't escape UConn as the pick here. Hurley has one of the country's best defensive frontcourts to slow down Ejiofor, so many options to breakthrough the Johnnies defense, and an experienced, veteran team that will control the pace and flow of this game.
It's a little bit of a "hold my nose" pick knowing Big East road wins don't come easy, yet UConn hasn't lost on the road all season (4-3 ATS, 7-0) and MSG will have plenty of Huskies' fans in attendance.
My Pick: UConn ML -125
