Big East Best Bets
March 6, 2018
Big East Tournament Preview
By Jonathan Willis
Move over Big Ten, the marquee attraction is coming to the Big Apple. For the last 35 years, the Big East has called New York home. We have seen plenty of historic games here over the years as some of the most storied programs in the country have played in front of a packed house at MSG. Some of the names have changed, but the level of basketball on display is still incredible.
Villanova enters the Big East Tournament as the favorite, having made it to the championship game in each of the last three seasons. However, this is a tournament where we have seen plenty of upsets over the years.
Tune into FOX and FS1 for live television coverage of the Big East Tournament from Wednesday, March 7 ? Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.
Big East Tournament Betting Odds
Villanova -110
Xavier +230
Butler +700
Creighton +800
Seton Hall +800
Providence +1600
Marquette +2500
Georgetown +5000
St. John?s +5000
DePaul +10000
The Favorites
Xavier might be the No. 1 seed heading into the Big East Tournament, but it is the second-favorite to take down the title. The Musketeers were hammered in both of their meetings against the Wildcats this season, giving oddsmakers cause for pause when considering their chances. Its defense has just been unable to stop Villanova, who lit up Xavier for 89 and 95 points.
Speaking of the Wildcats, Nova was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the season. However, the team dropped three of its last eight games to take a slight dip and will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament. There?s no denying that this is one of the most talented teams in the nation, with Naismith Award contender Jalen Brunson leading the way.
The Contenders
Five teams finished in the middle of the pack in the Big East, all coming within a game of each other.
Seton Hall is the No. 3 seed as the result of a better head-to-head record than Creighton and Providence. The Pirates started strong this season, but a four-game losing streak left them out of contention for the conference title. Still, this team will be a tough out with Angel Delgado patrolling the paint.
Creighton?s Marcus Foster is one of the top guards in the conference and makes this team one to keep an eye on. Foster led the Bluejays to an upset of Villanova just a few weeks ago, and he averages over 20 PPG on one of the nation?s top offenses.
Even though Butler went just 9-9 in conference play, people have jumped on the Bulldogs in this tournament. Butler is the shortest favorite of all the teams in this tier. Kelan Martin is a big reason for that, and he was recently named one of the three unanimous First Team All-Big East selections.
Next up
Despite being the only team to beat both Villanova and Xavier this year, not many are high on Providence?s chances entering the tournament. The Friars aren?t a great shooting team and the advanced metrics say that this team has gotten incredibly lucky this season.
Marquette has the misfortune of having to play in the first round despite finishing 9-9. That extra game could be a godsend though as it gives the Golden Eagles another shot to get a win they desperately need to improve their tournament resume.
The Longshots
For Georgetown, St. John?s, and Depaul, this is the season. All three teams will need to win the tournament to get an NCAA Tournament bid, although the Hoyas are still likely to get to a postseason tournament thanks to an incredibly soft non-conference schedule.
The most interesting team in this group is St. John?s. The Red Storm lost their first 11 conference games before inexplicably knocking off Duke and Villanova in back-to-back weeks in early February. They received a jolt of confidence after those two victories and won five of their last eight games.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Villanova is my pick to win the tournament, but there is value in Providence too. Although the advanced numbers don?t like the Friars, they have a favorable draw and have already knocked off the Wildcats and the Musketeers before.
March 6, 2018
Big East Tournament Preview
By Jonathan Willis
Move over Big Ten, the marquee attraction is coming to the Big Apple. For the last 35 years, the Big East has called New York home. We have seen plenty of historic games here over the years as some of the most storied programs in the country have played in front of a packed house at MSG. Some of the names have changed, but the level of basketball on display is still incredible.
Villanova enters the Big East Tournament as the favorite, having made it to the championship game in each of the last three seasons. However, this is a tournament where we have seen plenty of upsets over the years.
Tune into FOX and FS1 for live television coverage of the Big East Tournament from Wednesday, March 7 ? Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.
Big East Tournament Betting Odds
Villanova -110
Xavier +230
Butler +700
Creighton +800
Seton Hall +800
Providence +1600
Marquette +2500
Georgetown +5000
St. John?s +5000
DePaul +10000
The Favorites
Xavier might be the No. 1 seed heading into the Big East Tournament, but it is the second-favorite to take down the title. The Musketeers were hammered in both of their meetings against the Wildcats this season, giving oddsmakers cause for pause when considering their chances. Its defense has just been unable to stop Villanova, who lit up Xavier for 89 and 95 points.
Speaking of the Wildcats, Nova was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the season. However, the team dropped three of its last eight games to take a slight dip and will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament. There?s no denying that this is one of the most talented teams in the nation, with Naismith Award contender Jalen Brunson leading the way.
The Contenders
Five teams finished in the middle of the pack in the Big East, all coming within a game of each other.
Seton Hall is the No. 3 seed as the result of a better head-to-head record than Creighton and Providence. The Pirates started strong this season, but a four-game losing streak left them out of contention for the conference title. Still, this team will be a tough out with Angel Delgado patrolling the paint.
Creighton?s Marcus Foster is one of the top guards in the conference and makes this team one to keep an eye on. Foster led the Bluejays to an upset of Villanova just a few weeks ago, and he averages over 20 PPG on one of the nation?s top offenses.
Even though Butler went just 9-9 in conference play, people have jumped on the Bulldogs in this tournament. Butler is the shortest favorite of all the teams in this tier. Kelan Martin is a big reason for that, and he was recently named one of the three unanimous First Team All-Big East selections.
Next up
Despite being the only team to beat both Villanova and Xavier this year, not many are high on Providence?s chances entering the tournament. The Friars aren?t a great shooting team and the advanced metrics say that this team has gotten incredibly lucky this season.
Marquette has the misfortune of having to play in the first round despite finishing 9-9. That extra game could be a godsend though as it gives the Golden Eagles another shot to get a win they desperately need to improve their tournament resume.
The Longshots
For Georgetown, St. John?s, and Depaul, this is the season. All three teams will need to win the tournament to get an NCAA Tournament bid, although the Hoyas are still likely to get to a postseason tournament thanks to an incredibly soft non-conference schedule.
The most interesting team in this group is St. John?s. The Red Storm lost their first 11 conference games before inexplicably knocking off Duke and Villanova in back-to-back weeks in early February. They received a jolt of confidence after those two victories and won five of their last eight games.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Villanova is my pick to win the tournament, but there is value in Providence too. Although the advanced numbers don?t like the Friars, they have a favorable draw and have already knocked off the Wildcats and the Musketeers before.