Subscribe
Follow Us
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks take on the UConn Huskies. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Northern Arizona UConn prediction and pick. Find how to watch Northern Arizona UConn.
The UConn Huskies have authored one of the most remarkable stories in the history of college basketball. Duke under Mike Krzyzewski marked a spectacular rags-to-riches story, but UConn's story is a lot more impressive. Duke actually had a significant basketball tradition before Coach K. Duke was not a superpower, but the Blue Devils had some really good teams in the 1960s under then-coach Vic Bubas. Duke then made the 1978 NCAA Final Four and the national championship game under Bill Foster before Coach K arrived in 1980. It's true that Krzyzewski transformed Duke into a superpower and juggernaut and won five national titles, but Duke did have a strong basketball culture even before he came to Durham and changed college basketball history.
UConn was not known anywhere outside New England when Jim Calhoun took over the program. UConn went from a nowhere program to a colossus in basically a decade. After failing to make the Final Four for several years in the 1990s despite having very high seeds, UConn broke through in 1999, making the Final Four and then upsetting Coach K and Duke to win a first national title. Since then, the national titles have just kept coming to Storrs.
UConn's most amazing achievement as a program is not just the national championships — five, now, after last season's latest conquest — but its record of success at the Final Four. UConn has reached six Final Fours and has won five of them. North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and the other blue-blood heavyweights in college basketball have made lots more Final Fours than UConn, but the Huskies have as many national titles as Indiana and Duke and are just one title behind North Carolina's six, three behind Kentucky's eight. UConn has done in 24 years what other programs have needed several decades to accomplish. Dan Hurley has taken the baton from Calhoun as a coach poised to usher in another dynastic turn at UConn. The Huskies begin the defense of their national title against Northern Arizona.
Here are the Northern Arizona-UConn College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Northern Arizona-UConn Odds
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks: +25.5 (-110)
UConn Huskies: -25.5 (-110)
Over: 141.5 (-115)
Under: 141.5 (-105)
How To Watch Northern Arizona vs UConn
Time: 6:30 pm ET / 3:30 pm PT
Article Continues Below
TV: Regional and local cable
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Northern Arizona Could Cover the Spread
The fact that this is the first game of the season, with UConn having a reworked roster and some injury concerns, creates the obvious possibility that the Huskies won't be sharp or polished in this game. If UConn lacks full flow and functionality in this game, Northern Arizona can stay close enough to cover what is undeniably a very large spread.
Why UConn Could Cover the Spread
The Huskies might have lost some pieces from last season's national championship team, but they still have a lot of good players. They are still projected to finish near the top of what is supposed to be a very good and deep Big East Conference. They still have a lot of power and size. They will overwhelm a smaller, thinner NAU team in the season opener.
Final Northern Arizona-UConn Prediction & Pick
The size and power of UConn will be way too much for NAU. Take UConn.
Final Northern Arizona-UConn Prediction & Pick: UConn -25.5
