Big East Tournament Picks, Odds, Schedule & How to Watch
By Chris Amberley in College Basketball
Updated: March 7, 2023 at 5:32 pm ESTPublished:
- The Big East Tournament runs from Wednesday, March 8th to Saturday, March 11th at MSG in New York, NY
- No. 4 seed UConn has the shortest odds to win, followed by top seed Marquette and no. 3 seed Creighton
- Check out the Big East Tournament odds, schedule, how to watch, and best bets below
The Big East Tournament is wide open this year. Any of the top-four teams are live to take it down, while five of the 11 programs project to be dancing next week regardless of this week’s outcome.
Action gets underway on Wednesday, March 8th, and no. 4 seed UConn has the rare honor of being the tournament favorite, despite boasting the fourth best conference record.
Big East Conference Tournament Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| #4 UConn | +190 |
| #1 Marquette | +320 |
| #3 Creighton | +320 |
| #2 Xavier | +425 |
| #6 Villanova | +1500 |
| #5 Providence | +1500 |
| #7 Seton Hall | +5000 |
| #8 St. John’s | +6000 |
| #9 Butler | +8000 |
| #11 Georgetown | +10000 |
| #10 DePaul | +10000 |
The Huskies are the +190 chalk to win the Big East, something they haven’t accomplished since 2011. They’re followed by top seed Marquette and no. 3 Creighton at +320, while no. 2 seed Xavier is +425.
Despite being seeded fourth, UConn actually projects as a two seed in the March Madness bracket. They’re an analytics darling and enter the tournament in exceptional form.
Odds as of March 6, 2023, at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Big East Schedule
The Big East Tournament features 11 teams, with the top five seeds earning a direct path to the quarterfinals. The opening round will feature seeds six through 11, with the winners advancing to the quarters on Thursday, March 9th.
Semifinal action is slated for Friday, March 10th, with the Championship Game taking place on Saturday, March 11th. All games will be contested at Madison Square Garden, with FS1 providing coverage of the first three days before giving way to Fox for the final.
Big East Betting Analysis
UConn grades out fourth in the nation per KenPom’s metrics, and were 8-1 down the stretch. That run included wins over Marquette and Providence, with a loss to Creighton mixed in there as well.
The Huskies will have to get through not only Providence in the quarters, but likely two of Marquette, Xavier and Creighton as well to win the tournament. That makes their path to a title the most difficult of any of the top four seeds, and a fade of them seem justifiable. Just note, if you do plan on fading the Huskies you’re playing with fire.
Seven of their past eight victories have been by nine or more points, and they’re one of only two teams in the nation, along with NCAA Tournament odds favorite Houston, to rank top-12 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
The 2023 Big East Tournament Bracket. pic.twitter.com/jdnpFiGOZO
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 5, 2023
Top seed Marquette, UConn’s most likely semifinal opponent, is definitely worthy of consideration. The Golden Eagles ripped off 11 wins in their last 12 outings, and are the highest ranked Big East team in the AP-25 at number 6.
Marquette was 1-1 versus the Huskies this season, and boast the best offensive rating in the conference. They also split with no. 2 seed Xavier and no. 5 seed Providence, while sweeping no. 3 Creighton and no. 6 Villanova.
Speaking of the Musketeers and Bluejays, the case against both of them is simple. Xavier is minus big man Zach Freemantle who is one of their most important players. He’s the team’s leading rebounder and shot blocker, and ranked second in scoring.
Creighton meanwhile, is too inconsistent to trust. They closed the regular season with a disappointing 3-3 mark, losing to each of the top-six seeds they faced. They were 4-6 versus top-six seeds during the regular season and asking them to beat three of those programs in a row appears unrealistic.
Big East Predictions
If you want to roll the dice on a longshot, Villanova is the program to back. The Wildcats were 6-2 down the stretch, and have absolutely dominated the Big East Tournament over the past five years. Villanova is 9-1 in its last 10 tournament outings, winning the Conference Championship in four of the past five seasons.
They also project to face the Bluejays in the quarterfinals, a team they just beat by double-digits 10 days ago. History however, is not on Villanova’s side. Just once since 2014 has a team seeded outside the top-five won the Big East Tournament.
Which brings us back to the Golden Eagles. There’s not much separating the top-four seeds and Marquette’s price tag feels like a steal. Yes, a game at MSG in front of what will surely be a Huskies centric crowd is looming in the semis, but the Golden Eagles were excellent as visitors this season going 8-4.
Shaka Smart has been in his bag @ Marquette this year.
25-6
Big East champs
6th in the countryDeep run incoming for the Golden Eagles ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/ZMXQMfIVdW
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 6, 2023
They boast one of the top-four offenses in the country, scoring 80 points per game and shooting 50% from the field. Marquette led the conference in threes and shot the highest percentage from inside the arc.
UConn might be the betting favorite, but Marquette’s overall body of work and slightly easier path to a title makes them the preferred target.
Pick: Marquette Golden Eagles (+320)
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
