The Providence Friars are in a three-way race for fourth place in the Big East Conference. They cannot offer to slip up, especially facing the league’s worst St. John’s. The Red Storm only have one conference win in the Big East and have lost three straight heading into this regular season finale.
Providence is pumped up right now. The Friars just beat Creighton 70-66 on Wednesday night to force a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big East standings. They have a big chance to climb further up the lather facing the last-place St. John’s on Saturday.
Ben Bentil was the hero Wednesday night. He scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help beat Creighton. He had plenty of help from senior Kris Dunn, who chipped in 17 points, six rebounds and six assists to pace the Providence to the huge victory. Jake Lindsey was the only other Friar to score in double digits with 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting.
Bentil and Dunn will be the catalysts for a Providence victory Saturday afternoon. They were close to unstoppable against St. John’s in the first matchup on January 2. Bentil had 20 points and nine rebounds, while Dunn had 26 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals to lead the Friars.
Look for Bentil to light up the scoreboard in the regular season finale. He’s been unshackled in the past three games, averaging 28.7 points per game. If he can keep hot, then St. John’s paltry defense stands no chance of stopping the Friars.
Providence has struggled on the road as of late, going 0-4 SU/ATS.
Betting on the St. John’s Red Storm (8-22)
St. John’s may be the worst team in the Big East. They don’t have anything to play for this late into the season. But they could still act as spoilers by recording a big upset at home against Providence. It’ll be the final home game the Red Storm will play this season, which makes this much more important for their seniors.
Durand Johnson leads the way for St. John’s. He’s averaging a team-high 11.9 points per game this season. He’ll be amped up to give his home fans one last outing before he finishes his college career. Johnson is averaging 13 points per game in his last five outings at home. He’ll have some help from St. John’s primary playmaker Felix Balamou.
Also a senior, Balamou is averaging 2.5 assists per game this year. He isn’t much of a scorer with just 6.9 points per game this season. But he stepped up against Providence in the first matchup in January. He scored 11 points and added three rebounds and three assists. Ron Mvouika could also relish in the final home game in his career. The French forward is just one game removed from a season-high 20 points in an 83-75 loss at DePaul last Thursday.
St. John’s is 5-2 ATS in their last seven games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Providence builds an early lead and never looks back in a blowout of St. John’s.
