Big East Tournament Odds And Picks Against The Spread

The Big East Tournament opens Wednesday at Madison Square Garden with the conference hoping to put a whopping seven of its 10 teams into the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova once again reigned supreme and will be a top seed. Seton Hall is currently projected as a No. 8 seed in the Big Dance, with Providence forecast as a No. 10 seed. They cannot afford early exits in the conference tourney if they want a relaxing Selection Sunday.

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Here are the odds to win the tournament, courtesy of BookMaker.eu:

Villanova -110
Butler +300
Creighton +400
Marquette +1100
Xavier +1300
Seton Hall +2000
Providence +2500
St Johns +2700
Georgetown +3000
DePaul +4000

THE FAVORITE: Villanova (risk $110 to win $100) -- The 28-3 Wildcats cruised to their fourth straight regular-season title and are gunning for their second conference tourney championship in three years.

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Four Wildcats made the Big East All-Conference Teams, with Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson making the First Team. Villanova obviously is loaded and eager to atone for last year's loss to Seton Hall in the Big East final, but there's no value at this price.

VALUE PLAY: Creighton (risk $100 to win $400) -- After dropping four of their last six, I expect the Bluejays to play with a chip on their shoulders as they try to impress the Selection Committee. Creighton beat four ranked teams and can score with anyone; the Bluejays led the conference with 82.9 points per game.

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LONG SHOT: Georgetown (risk $100 to win $3000) -- Perhaps no team from a power conference performed as poorly as Georgetown, which enters on a five-game losing streak. But if the Hoyas can somehow find an offensive rhythm, they could be undervalued in this tourney.

PICK: Marquette (risk $100 to win $1100): The tournament format, where offense and depth are at a premium, fits the Golden Eagles to a tee. Their confidence is rising. They won four of five to cap the regular season, scoring 90-plus in three of their last four.

With three key seniors led by Jajuan Johnson, Marquette could easily win four games in four days. Back the Golden Eagles at this generous price.

TUESDAY UPDATE:

St. John's and Georgetown (-1) square off on Wednesday night in the Big East Tournament opener, while Xavier (-10.5) vs. DePaul follows.

THURSDAY UPDATE:

Villanova popped 100 points on St. John's and won by 41. Xavier and Seton Hall also advanced out of the quarterfinals.