College Basketball BIG East Favorites Betting Update

The college basketball regular season is over, but before we get to March Madness, there is the business of the conference tournaments to attend to. This is the perfect way to prepare for the tournament, as it gets teams into the one and done mentality required to make a deep run in the playoffs. It’s also a fantastic way for bettors to figure out which teams might be tournament ready, and which might be setting themselves up for an early exit. There is a lot of ground to cover this week, but let’s start by taking a closer look at the Big East tournament so you can bet against the NCAA Conference Tournament Odds, which is set to begin on Wednesday night.

BIG East Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship Betting Analysis and Predictions

Round 1 Matchups

The Big East Tournament begins on Wednesday night with a trio of games that features the teams seeded from #6 through #11. Moving on is the goal for each of these teams, but they will all be well aware that they have an even tougher game waiting for them in the 2^nd Round.

#8 Xavier and #9 Butler meet in perhaps the toughest game to handicap. It was Xavier who won both regular season games, although one was very close, so you would expect them to move on to face #1 Providence.

#7 St. John’s will face #10 DePaul in what should be a good game, with these two splitting the regular season series. Still have to give the edge to St. John’s in this one.

The final opening round game sees #6 Seton Hall take on #11 Georgetown in a game that should be a win for the Pirates.

Favorites to Win

While the Providence Friars (+340) ended the season as the team sitting atop the Big East, they are not the favorite to win the Big East Tournament. That honor falls on Villanova, who are in at +100 to win it all and head into the tournament on a high. From 2017 to 2019, Villanova went on a run that saw them win 3 straight Big East tournaments. Obviously, this is a totally different team, but you still cannot deny that they are a proven commodity in this tournament, so no real surprise that they are in as the favorite.

If you are looking for someone other than the favorite, then perhaps take a look at UConn, who are also listed at +340. That said, I am of the feeling that Seton Hall could be tough to handle, and they would face the Huskies in Round 2 if they get beyond the 1^st round, as expected. The Pirates are great value at +1600, and while winning this tournament might be beyond them, I do think they have the ability to make some noise.

If it’s a longshot you are after, then it might be fun to put a few bucks on St. John’s. Again, I’m not sure that they have what it takes to win this thing, but they will be playing on home court and might be able to use that to their advantage to make a run, which is something they haven’t done in a while. I’m not necessarily a fan of playing the chalk, but Villanova looks like the team to beat here.