#640 ASA FREE PLAY ON St Johns -3.5 over Providence, Tuesday at 9 PM ET - Providence is 18-2 overall (won 13 of their last 14) and 8-1 in the Big East while St John’s is 11-8 overall (lost 5 of their last 7) and only 3-5 in conference play yet the Johnnies are the favorites here. Hmmm. Someone wants you to take Providence here but we like St John’s in this spot. The Friars are coming off a bunch of close wins (4 in a row by 8 points or less) and their most recent was a 2-point home win over Marquette. They trailed for most of the game and squeaked by with a 65-63 win. Providence beat St Johns by 10 earlier this month and we see this as a letdown spot. In that earlier win, the Friars mad 26 FT’s to just 8 for St Johns yet the margin was only 10. The Johnnies, as most teams, play much better at home where they are 10-2 with their losses coming by 6 vs Seton Hall and by 2 vs Pitt, a game SJU played without their leading scorer Champagnie (19 PPG & 7 RPG). They love to play up tempo and will attempt to get Providence out of their comfort zone in this one. SJU averages 82 PPG at home on 47% shooting while the Friars put up only 62 PPG on the road while shooting a terrible 39%. This is just the 2nd road game for Providence since January 4th while St John’s has played 5 of their last 7 on the road so they are just happy to be home. We smell an “upset” although it really wouldn’t be an upset as the unranked home team is favored over the #15 road team. SJU wins and covers.