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The UConn Huskies take on the Providence Friars. Our college basketball odds series has our UConn Providence prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UConn vs Providence.
The UConn Friars finally lost a game this past weekend. Over the past four days, the final three unbeaten teams in major college basketball lost. UConn fell to Xavier on Saturday. Purdue lost at home to Rutgers on Monday night. New Mexico, the last undefeated team in college hoops this season, finally lost on Tuesday night at Fresno State. It will be interesting to see what happens to UConn, Purdue and New Mexico, given that they were the final holdouts, the last three teams which refused to lose a game until December 31 or later. Their unbeaten runs were all impressive, but we know that the heart of the conference season is a real grind. Look at New Mexico as an example: The Lobos played a five-win Wyoming team and a five-win Fresno State team on the road. The Lobos struggled with both opponents and were fortunate to merely split the two games. UConn's loss to Xavier did not occur against a bad team, but Xavier isn't necessarily viewed as a top-tier contender in the Big East Conference. Did UConn simply have a bad day, or are the Huskies not as good as their record might suggest? It's a fascinating question to carry into this game at Providence, which won the Big East championship last season.
Here are the UConn-Providence college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: UConn-Providence Odds
UConn Huskies: -5.5 (-104)
Providence Friars: +5.5 (-118)
Over: 142.5 (-106)
Under: 142.5 (-114)
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Why UConn Could Cover The Spread
The Huskies are still a really good team, and it has to be said that with an unbeaten record, they were a target. They had a bullseye on their backs. Now that target isn't quite as strong, even though the Huskies are currently still the team to beat in the Big East. That might enable the Huskies to relax and little bit and not worry about when their unbeaten streak will end. They can get back to focusing on basketball and on improving before March Madness. There has not been an unbeaten national champion in men's Division I college basketball since the Indiana Hoosiers pulled off the feat under head coach Bobby Knight in 1976. UConn doesn't have to worry about those kinds of storylines now. It could be a blessing in disguise for coach Dan Hurley's team, which is very strong at both ends of the floor and is likely to play a lot better than it did against Xavier this past Saturday.
Why Providence Could Cover The Spread
The Friars are defending Big East champions, and they're playing like it. They don't have as good a record as UConn does, but they're still very tough, especially at home. They defeated a good Marquette team at home in a battle of likely NCAA Tournament teams. They are unbeaten in their last five games. They are 4-0 in the Big East Conference so far this season, with three of those four conference wins coming in road games. This team is 12-3 and has definitely answered the bell after winning the Big East title one season ago. Coach Ed Cooley continues to do a tremendous job with this program, and he will have the Friars prepared to play.
UConn was struggling before the loss to Xavier. The Huskies had a hard time at home against a bad Georgetown team and an undermanned Villanova team. The Huskies are not in a good rhythm, and they are ripe for the taking on the road. Providence has very rarely lost at home in conference play over the past year and a half.
Final UConn-Providence Prediction & Pick
UConn might win outright, but Providence getting five and a half points at home seems almost too good to be true. Providence is unlikely to get beaten by a large margin by anyone on its home floor.
Final UConn-Providence Prediction & Pick: Providence +5.5
How To Watch UConn vs. Providence
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports App
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT
