NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III looks frustrated, as he follows a referee, on the sidelines during the first round of the BigEast Conference men's basketball tournament between the St. John's Red Storm and the Georgetown Hoyas on March 08, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It’s one of college basketball’s most exciting weeks and the Big East men’s basketball tournament is at the front of it all. Madison Square Garden, also known as “The Mecca of Basketball.” will again host one of basketball’s most exciting tournaments outside of March Madness.
This year won’t be any different, as one of college basketball’s most exciting conferences begin to battle it out for supremacy.
The Marquette Golden Eagles beat the Xavier Musketeers in last year's championship. That was after Marquette beat a Connecticut Huskies team that ended up winning the big tournament in March. Both programs are at the top of the pile again, but other schools will be looking to topple them.
Which teams will do that? Let’s dig in.
2024 Big East Tournament: Best Bets, Dark Horses, and Players To Watch
Big East Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
| Team |
Odds |
| Connecticut Huskies |
-135 |
| Creighton Bluejays |
+425 |
| Marquette Golden Eagles |
+500 |
| Seton Hall Pirates |
35-1 |
| St. John’s Red Storm |
+800 |
| Villanova Wildcats |
16-1 |
| Providence Friars |
60-1 |
| Butler Bulldogs |
110-1 |
| Xavier Musketeers |
110-1 |
| Georgetown Hoyas |
1000-1 |
| DePaul Blue Demons |
1000-1 |
UConn Huskies are Favorite To Win Big East Conference Tournament
- The UConn Huskies are the favorites, currently the odds to win big east tournament is sitting at -135
- The Huskies are also the favorites at +500 to win the NCAA tournament
- The only team with better odds is the Houston Cougars
- They are higher when it comes to both KenPom rankings and the famous Bart Torvik’s adjusted efficiency rankings, UConn is a top-five offense and just barely outside the top 10 in defense
- They are 10th in the nation in effecting field goal % (56.7) and fourth in effective field goal defense % (45.1%). UConn is top 10 in both 2PT% offense and defense and is lethal when it comes to 3-point offense and defense
The Huskies just have very few weak spots and have proven as much by dominating their schedule this season. UConn earned non conference wins over Texas, North Carolina, and Gonzaga. They also went 18-2 in Big East play.
The Huskies still have players from last year’s championship team, and they are one of the most well-coached teams in college basketball. Look for UConn to win the Big East Tournament.
Big East Conference Tournament Darkhorse
If you aren’t sure, a dark horse is a team that has the potential of making a deep run or winning it all but the pre-tournament odds don’t reflect that, only a true team deep dive can. So we are going to look at the teams that fit that criteria.
Taking Villanova at +1500 isn’t a bad pick for dark horse in the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats’ weak record doesn’t match up with the team’s statistical profile. Despite barely winning half their games, Villanova is ranked 29th in KenPom.
The reason for that is that the Wildcats are 14th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. If you can trust a team to play hard defensively, you can trust they’ll have a good chance to win games.
Villanova didn’t have much success in close games this year, but anything can happen in tournament play. The Wildcats will be playing with their hair on fire given where they stand when it comes to bracketology. This bubble team might miss out on the big dance.
Villanova senior Eric Dixon has averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game during the regular season and is one of the Big East’s most dominant players. He’s got a team of talented role players who were let downs at times during the season.
Players to Watch in Big East Conference Tournament
Marquette’s Tyler Kolek is the best player in the Big East. But, the Golden Eagles leader is dealing with an oblique injury. If he’s missing, or not his usual self, Marquette will be in trouble.
Kolek is the leader of this offense and is capable of setting teammates to be successful like few team leaders can. He’s also an elite 3-point shooter as is Kolek’s second in command Oso Ighodaro. Marquette’s forward is a phenomenal athlete with serious flashes of speed for a big man. He’s a good play-finisher and has offensive versatility. He’s also lethal defensively.
Another loaded team is the Creighton Blue Jays.
They are because of players like,
- Trey Alexander
- Baylor Scheierman
- Ryan Kalkbrenne
Alexander had 14 games scoring more than 20 points during the regular season, and he finished the year with a buzzer-beater against the Villanova Wildcats.
He is capable of scoring in many ways and is also a very good passer, defender, and team leader. Alexander is one of the top players in the Big East without question. If Marquette is going to make a deep run it’s going to be because of him.
UConn has two potential NBA lottery picks, Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle. Clingan is an absolute mountain that rarely misses from down low and is one of the nation’s top shot blockers.. He makes standard centers look like small, and his presence on both ends makes the Huskies one of the toughest matchups for any team in the Big East or the nation.
Their other NBA hopeful Castle is a huge guard who can get to the rim easily versus most opponents. In addition to being a difficult player to guard, he’s also a top-notch defender that can make offenses struggle.
The Huskies also have Tristen Newton, the team’s leading scorer at 16 points per game. They also have excellent players in Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer. For as good as Castle and Clingan might be in the pros, these three make the UConn offense run. All of them can score with ease, and know how to get things done late in games.
St. John Red Storm has a number of impact players, but there are two true standouts, Joel Soriano and Daniss Jenkins. They are the Red Storm’s most important players for a number of reasons. Soriano is a great big for this Red Storm squad, and he’s also a solid shot blocker.
Jenkins, a senior, is a consistent scorer who has found new life after a slow start to the season. When he’s making good decisions as a playmaker, the Red Storm are a tough basketball team.
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Betting Pick to Win The Big East Conference Tournament
It’s not always fun to take the big favorite but sometimes it’s just smart money. The Huskies might have a hard time living up to last year’s championship run, it’s hard to repeat a championship. However, UConn’s stats this year are as good as last year, so it’s possible.
Dan Hurley is one of the best coaches in the game, and he’s also the best at getting the most from his team. Combine that with the amount of talent he has on his team and it’s hard to think who might be able to stop this team. Make the smart bet and take UConn to win the Big East Tournament.
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