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Villanova Opens as +250 Favorite to Win Big East; Marquette & Seton Hall also Contenders

Dave Friedman

by Dave Friedman in College Basketball

Updated Apr 7, 2020 · 1:27 PM PDT

Finneran Pavilion
Will Villanova once again be top dog in the Big East this season? Photo from Wikimedia Commons [CCLicense]
  • College basketball season begins in less than a month
  • Villanova, who has won two national titles in the last four years, is the Big East favorite
  • Should you bet on the Wildcats, or maybe an up-and-comer to win the conference?

Between shockingly winning the NCAA Title in 1985 to putting up another surprising banner in 2016, Villanova was a consistently good but not great basketball program. After they cut down the nets again in 2018 they became a name to consider among the blue bloods.

Despite a very slow start to last season, losing games to Furman and Penn among others, Jay Wright righted the ship, won 26 games, and a 13-5 league marked earned them a fifth Big East regular season title in the last six years.

With the 2019-2020 season getting underway in a few weeks, is the Big East ‘Nova’s to win again? Is there a price worth considering?

Odds to win the 2020 Big East Regular Season Title

Team Odds
Villanova +250
Marquette +350
Seton Hall +450
Xavier +650
Creighton +900
St. Johns +1200
Georgetown +1400
Providence +1400
Butler +2000
DePaul +3300

*Odds taken 10/07/19. 

There was real parity among Big East teams last year. Villanova won the regular season title by one game over Marquette, and then four squads all went 9-9. St. John’s was 8-10 and the bottom of the league was a three way tie at 7-11.

That should mean everybody goes into the season thinking they have a chance, and perhaps it opens up some intriguing betting options.

The Favorite: Villanova

Losing Phil Booth and Eric Paschall, the team’s top two offensive players last year, is difficult. However, the Cats signed a top five recruiting class led by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Bryan Antoine.

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Both highly prized newcomers project as first round NBA Draft picks, and returners Collin Gillespie, Sadiq Bey, Jermaine Samuels and Dhamir Cosby-Rountree all played important roles last year and should improve this season.

There is no doubt Villanova has the most upside and recent pedigree in the league, but there are other good choices too.

Primary Challengers: Marquette, Seton Hall, and Xavier

Marquette finished second in the regular season last year and fell to Seton Hall by a bucket in the Big East Tournament Semifinals. Murray State blew them out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but they got great news when Markus Howard decided to stay in school.

However, the Hauser brothers transferred and that means replacing almost 25 points and 13 rebounds a game. Enter Koby McEwen. The Utah State transfer should be a difference maker in all aspects of the game. Marquette is going to need to find someone to rebound if they are going to contend for the title.

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Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard needed a couple of years to figure out how to win during his time at Iona. The same has been true at The Hall. After five up-and-down years with a combined record around .500, the Pirates have won 20 games or more in each of the last four campaigns and gone dancing each season.

This may be Willard’s best squad. Myles Powell could be the league’s best player, eight of the team’s top nine players are back, and big man Ike Obiagu is eligible after transferring from Florida State.

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The only team to win the Big East other than Villanova recently, Xavier took the regular season championship two years ago.

In his second year as the head coach, Travis Steele looks to take momentum from late last year, when XU won seven of their final nine regular season games after starting 3-8. Top scorer and rebounder Naji Marshall is back, as are three other starters.

Steele, known as a recruiter during his time as a Xavier assistant under Chris Mack, has a top 25 recruiting class, and two impact grad transfers as well.

Longshots: Providence and Georgetown

Providence coach Ed Cooley flirted with Michigan this offseason after a slightly down season last year. The Friars had won 20 games in five straight years but were just 18-16 in 2018-2019. They’ll go as far as Alpha Diallo, perhaps the league’s best defender and the team’s top returning scorer, and bucket getter UMass transfer Luwane Pipkins can take them.

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Georgetown hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2015, and last year was their first winning season since then. Coach Patrick Ewing looks to build on a 19-win campaign and they return most of their key pieces with the exception of leading scorer Jessie Govan. If NC State transfer Omer Yurtseven is a seven foot difference maker, nobody will want to face the Hoyas this season.

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