Providence Friars vs St. John's Red Storm Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Providence Friars vs St. John's Red Storm

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Providence Friars (7-6) are on their way to Madison Square Garden on Saturday where they will try to defeat the St. John's Red Storm (9-4).

The Providence Friars faced off with Seton Hall and went home with a loss by a final score of 72-67 in their last game. Providence finished with a 39.6% field goal percentage (19 of 48) and knocked down 5 of 23 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Friars converted 24 of 30 tries for a percentage of 80.0%. When talking about rebounding, they earned a total of 26 with 4 of them being offensive. They also recorded 11 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 5 steals. With respect to defense, Providence allowed their opponent to shoot 45.5% from the floor on 25 out of 55 shooting. Seton Hall totaled 13 dimes and had 12 steals for this contest. Moreover, Seton Hall totaled 31 boards (9 offensive, 22 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Seton Hall finished shooting 63.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 17 of 27 attempts. They knocked down 5 of 15 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Concerning personal fouls, the Friars ended up finishing with 21 while Seton Hall accounted for 20 personal fouls.

Stefan Vaaks is one player who played a role for the game. He scored 15 points on 5 of 14 shooting. He played 28 minutes and also collected 3 boards. He ended up shooting 35.7% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists.

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Providence will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 7-6 on the campaign. They are averaging 89.8 points per outing (23rd in college) while going 48.2% from the floor. The Friars are shooting 35.1% on shots from beyond the arc (126 of 359) and 79.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Providence is pulling in 39.0 rebounds per game and has accumulated 218 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 102nd in college hoops in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 11.5 times per contest and as a team they are committing 19.2 personal fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Friars are able to force 11.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.0 personal fouls. They relinquish 37.4% on shots from distance and they are 345th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (83.7). The Friars defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.2% (376 of 871) and they concede 37.8 rebounds per game as a squad. They rank 290th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 209 relinquished this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the St. John's Red Storm took home the win by a final score of 95-83 against Georgetown. The Red Storm were able to snag 19 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for this game. They turned the ball over 11 times, while earning 7 steals in this matchup. Georgetown had 20 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Red Storm to the charity stripe for 26 tries. They were able to make 20 of the free throws for a percentage of 76.9%. In reference to three-point shots, St. John's knocked down 15 of their 27 attempts (55.6%). In all, the Red Storm ended up shooting 30 out of 60 from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. The Red Storm allowed Georgetown to bury 28 out of their 61 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.9% in this matchup. They shot 42.9% from three-point range by connecting on 9 out of 21 and finished the contest at 18 out of 23 from the free throw line (78.3%). In the matter of how they attacked the glass, St. John's allowed Georgetown to get 28 in total (11 on the offensive glass).

Zuby Ejiofor ended up having an impact for the Red Storm in this matchup. He converted 7 of 9 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 77.8%, and accumulated 10 rebounds. He accumulated 25 points in his 29 minutes on the court and had 7 dimes for this contest.

St. John's has a mark of 9-4 this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Red Storm are hitting on 47.2% from the floor, which ranks 103rd in the nation. St. John's has totaled 1,125 points so far this season (86.5 per game) and they pull in 38.6 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 16.5 times per game (86th in college) and they are giving up possession 12.8 times per game. The Red Storm commit 17.7 fouls per contest and they connect on 74.5% from the free throw line.

The Red Storm on the defensive side of the court are 170th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 72.5. They are forcing their opponents into 15.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.6% from the floor (93rd in college). The St. John's defense concedes 30.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter (85 of 281) and opponents are knocking down 75.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 12.2 dimes and 35.2 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 92nd and 221st in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. John's

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