UConn vs Providence Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 9 Big East Tournament (Huskies Race Past Friars)

UConn vs Providence Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Big East Tournament Game
• No. 11 UConn (24-7, 13-7 Big East) vs. Providence (21-10, 13-7 Big East)
• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Madison Square Garden -- New York City, New York
• Coverage: Fox Sports 1

The Big East Conference Tournament continues with the quarterfinals on Thursday with a clash between UConn (No. 4 seed) and Providence (No. 5 seed). Neither team played in the first round yesterday so both will be ready to go today with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

UConn vs Providence Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: UCONN: (-300) | PROV: (+240)
• Spread: UCONN: -6.5 (-120) | PROV: +6.5 (-102)
• Total: 145.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Not surprisingly, the Huskies are heavily favored on both the spread and moneyline after going 8-1 to close out the regular season. The Friars, on the other hand, dropped three of their last four, so the momentum does not appear to be on their side. This game also has a healthy total of 145.5, which is about average for a college basketball game.

UConn vs Providence Betting Trends

• UConn has 20 wins in 31 games against the spread this season.
• The Huskies' ATS record as 6.5-point favorites or more is 14-7.
• This season, 18 of UConn's 31 games have gone over the point total.
• Providence's record against the spread is 19-12-0.
• As a 6.5-point underdog or greater, the Friars have two wins ATS (2-1).
• Providence has played 31 games this year, and 18 of them have hit the over.

UConn Rank	UConn AVG		Providence AVG	Providence Rank
29th	79	Points Scored	78.5	36th
40th	64.8	Points Allowed	71.3	216th
12th	36.1	Rebounds	35.5	24th
4th	11.8	Off. Rebounds	10.5	28th
38th	8.9	3pt Made	6.7	257th
7th	17.3	Assists	14.7	68th
221st	12.3	Turnovers	11.1	99th

UConn vs Providence Prediction & Pick

As mentioned above, UConn ended the season on fire by winning five in a row to close out the schedule. That included a dominant 87-69 victory over Providence on Feb. 22.

The Friars will need to play much better this time if they want to have a chance, especially on defense. They allowed the Huskies to shoot 53.3% from the floor, including 47.6% from deep. Providence also got killed on the glass, giving up a 53.8% offensive rebounding rate to UConn.

At the end of the day, though, the Huskies are simply the better team and should win this game handily. UConn is outstanding on both sides of the ball, ranking top 50 in points scored and points allowed. That balance is a big reason why the Huskies are ranked fourth overall by KenPom.

The Friars are potent on offense as well (No. 36 in scoring) but are below average on defense, which will make it tough for them to keep up with the Huskies and ultimately prevent them from moving on.

Prediction: UConn 81 | Providence 72

UConn vs Providence Best Bet

If there's one thing we know about this game, it's that there should be plenty of offense. Both teams rank top 20 in KenPom's adjusted offensive ratings and excel at finding the open man based on their strong assist numbers.

Providence's defense has been a major issue lately, surrendering at least 80 points in three of their last four games. The Friars finished the year strong on offense, however, with 85+ points in four of their last six games.

With UConn netting at least 87 points in three of their last four games, both of these offenses are humming and should hit the Over with ease.

Best Bet: OVER 145.5 Total Points (-110)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.