On January 15, the Providence Friars earned a 63-58 win over the St. John’s Red Storm. The victory was their fifth in a six-game stretch that brought them to 4-1 in Big East play and 11-7 on the year. Since then though, both teams have gone in the wrong direction. The Friars have won just two games since then, while St. John’s has accrued just one. But one team on Wednesday will be able to celebrate, as the Red Storm and Friars are teed up to face off at Carnesecca in Queens.

St. John’s and their offense are still going through their woes. They rank near the bottom of the Big East in most offensive categories on KenPom sans Turnover%. Their defense, while a strength overall, has not been spectacular during Big East play at all. They, also, rank near the bottom in most categories besides, funnily enough, Turnover%. They’ve lost their last three by 20 points to the Villanova Wildcats, one to the Georgetown Hoyas and 12 to the Creighton Bluejays. It’s hard to pull any positives from their games, and now that Mustapha Heron is ruled out for the remainder of the year, it’s become an steeper battle for Mike Anderson and this team to navigate up.

Providence meanwhile had been able to piece together a win streak for the first time since December after defeating the Butler Bulldogs and Creighton. But they were derailed by the Xavier Musketeers over the weekend, snapping that win streak instantly. The Friars’ offense, much like St. John’s, has been stagnant at times. Which is one of the main reasons that they have struggled thus far this season. But, if they propel themselves to victory on Wednesday then they’re suddenly 7-5 in Big East play and still possess a chance to make a solid run to avoid playing on Wednesday in the looming Big East Tournament. So unlike St. John’s right now, the Friars still have a decent amount of hope in their possession.

HOW TO WATCH

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: CBS Sports Network

ODDS

Spread: Providence -1.5

Total: 140.5

Moneyline: Providence -125 | St. John’s +105