Big East Conference
Basketball Tournament Odds
Preview and Picks
3/6/12
The Big East Conference Tournament tips off on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden and will end with the Championship Game on Saturday Night, March 10th at 9pm est. All Big East teams are invited to this dance with the bottom 8 in action Tuesday. No surprise, Syracuse is favored to win it at just about even money (+120) at 5 Dimes Sportsbook.
The most exciting part of this Tournament would be the bubble teams. The Big East has been getting 8 teams in the NCAA Tournament with regularity. So, for the top teams, sure, they’d like to win this Tournament, but their sights are set on a bigger prize. But for the bubble teams, this is do or die. Particularly, UCONN, Seton Hall and West Virginia. Perhaps South Florida, though they have a 12-6 Conference record whereas the other 3 have losing records in Conference (WVA 9-9).
Of those teams, UCONN looks as though it may have the best chance to make some noise. They get Depaul in the 1st round and would then advance to play West Virginia, a team they can beat, in round 2. Remember, UCONN is no stranger to MSG and will draw huge fan support being so close to campus.
Lookout for St John’s early. They too, are no stranger to MSG, playing some of their home Games there and have frequently come up as a value play using Our model this year, due to playing a more difficult Schedule than most of the rest of the conference. They can beat Pitt.
If none of the bubble teams make a run, the likely winner would be in this bunch Marquette, Georgetown, Louisville, Cinci or Notre Dame. We really would not be surprised to see Syracuse bounced out, and for them, that would probably be a good thing.
Listed below are the current odds to win the Big East Tournament. From a value standpoint, you really have to toss the top teams and of course, the bottom teams. Teams with juicy odds that could make a run would be UCONN at 40 to 1 odds, West Virginia at 25 to 1 and South Florida at 15 to 1. South Florida was the hottest of the bunch down the stretch, going 7-3 and again, a 12-6 Conference record. They are also playing a full 5 points above their regular season average, best in the Conference and just a few points from Syracuse and Marquette as far as current form.
Current Odds courtesy of 5 Dimes:
Syracuse +120
Marquette +300
Georgetown +700
Notre Dame +800
Cincinnati +800
Louisville +1000
South Florida +1500
West Virginia +2500
Connecticut +4000
Pittsburgh +8500
Seton Hall +9000
Rutgers +12500
St. John’s +20000
Villanova +30000
Providence +40000
Depaul +75000