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Big East Tournament Odds, Picks and Preview

Daniel Coyle

by Daniel Coyle in College Basketball

Updated Mar 8, 2022 · 5:09 PM PST

Providence guard Jared Bynum driving to the hoop
Providence guard Jared Bynum (4) in action during an NCAA college basketball game against Villanova, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Villanova, Pa. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
  • The Villanova Wildcats lead the way as favorites at the 2022 Big East Tournament
  • The Providence Friars claimed the regular season conference title but lag in the tournament odds, just back of the defending champion UConn Huskies
  • Read on for the 2022 Big East Tournament odds and trends 

All eyes will be on Madison Square Garden this week as the Big East Tournament gets underway. All 11 teams in the conference are participating this year’s tournament, which runs from March 9th to 13th at MSG.

2022 Big East Conference Tournament Odds

Team Odds
Villanova Wildcats +150
UConn Huskies +300
Providence Friars +500
Marquette Golden Eagles +700
Seton Hall Pirates +1000
St. John’s Red Storm +1000
Xavier Musketeers +1200
Creighton Bluejays +1600
DePaul Blue Demons +5000
Butler Bulldogs +8000
Georgetown Hoyas +15000

Odds from Barstool Sportsbook on March 8, 2022. See the college basketball odds page for individual game odds. 

 

Villanova enters the Big East Tournament as a +150 favorite, followed by UConn (+300) and top-seed Providence (+500). Georgetown is the longest of longshots at an astronomical +15000.

Big East Tournament Schedule

The bottom six seeds face off on Wednesday. No. 9 Butler searches for an end to a five-game slide as they battle No. 8 Xavier for the right to face top-seeded Providence in Thursday’s quarter-final action.

No. 7 St. John’s clashes with No. 10 DePaul, with the winner moving to face the defending champion Villanova Wildcats, while Wednesday’s third contest has No. 6 Seton Hall facing off against the last-place Georgetown Hoyas, with the winner advancing to meet No. 3 UConn.

Thursday’s other quarter-final matchup is set, with No. 4 Creighton battling No. 5 Marquette. Semi-final action continues on Saturday, and a tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth will be handed out in Sunday afternoon’s final

Last Five Big East Tournament Winners

Big East Champion Year
Georgetown 2021
Not Held 2020
Villanova 2019
Villanova 2018
Villanova 2017
Seton Hall 2016

Can Providence Silence Naysayers?

The Providence Friars are coming off their first ever Big East regular season championship win, earning them the top seed in this year’s tournament. However, that regular season success has not translated into backing at the sportsbooks, where the Friars sit third in the Big East Tournament odds at +500. Winners in just nine of 19 conference contests last season, the Friars have enjoyed an impressive turnaround this season.

Nate Watson and Jared Bynum have led the charge. Watson leads the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game. Bynum is tops in both steals and assists, and recorded his first double-double of the season in last week’s season finale. However, the team effort has not helped the Friars in their two dates with the Villanova Wildcats. Providence dropped a 76-74 decision to Nova last week, and also fell 89-84 to the Wildcats on home court in February.

The upside for the Friars is that they can avoid meeting the Wildcats until the tournament final, giving them additional opportunity to pad their resume in the event they need an at-large bid to solidify their grasp on a spot on the projected NCAA Tournament bracket. Providence currently sits at No. 36 in the Kenpom ratings, and 27th in adjusted offensive efficiency after averaging 82.8 points over their final eight contests.

Wildcats on the Rise

Currently pegged just shy of the favorites in the odds to win March Madness, the Wildcats have their sights set on a ninth straight trip to the Big Dance as they get ready for Big East Tournament action as short +150 favorites. Villanova closed out their schedule on a steady 7-1 SU run. However, recent losses to UConn and Marquette remain cause for concern.

The Wildcats’ lone defeat over their final eight games came against the Huskies, whom they could possibly face in semi-final action. Villanova also failed to solve Marquette this season, dropping a pair of decisions to the Golden Eagles, including a crushing 83-73 loss that immediately preceded their current hot stretch. However, the Wildcats sport a veteran squad that has enjoyed plenty of success, raising the trophy in four of the past six editions of this tournament, making them the team to beat.

Big East Tournament Pick

Currently pegged at No. 20 in the AP Top 25 rankings, the Huskies have shown signs of their potential to defend their Big East Tournament title, and that is reflected in their strong +300 odds. The squad overcame a February swoon, going 6-1 to close things out with an improved 13-6 record, and could emerge as an intriguing dark horse on the odds to reach the Final Four.

But if the Huskies are to repeat, they must maintain the stingy defensive ways that limited opponents to just 66.8 points per game over their final seven contests.

The Golden Eagles round out the top of the Big East Tournament odds as a +700 bet, but must overcome their late-season inconsistency if they are to claim their first-ever tournament title. Marquette stumbled to just four wins over their final nine contests, including a second straight defeat at the hands of the Creighton Bluejays, whom they will face in quarterfinal action.

In addition, the dismal 1-5-1 ATS run that Marquette takes into the tournament does nothing to build sports bettor confidence.

The Pick: Villanova Wildcats (+150)

All Conference Tournament Previews:

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