Top US sportsbooks online favor the Villanova Wildcats to win the 2022 Big East Conference basketball tournament. The Villanova Wildcats are the No. 2-seed, but they have the best odds at the best online sportsbooks to win their conference tournament.
The No. 3-seed Connecticut Huskies are second-favorites to win the Big East Tournament. The No. 1-seed Providence Friars are third at top sportsbooks online. Marquette, Creighton, and Seton Hall could have some value as well.
MyBookie Betting Odds to Win the Big East Conference
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Villanova Wildcats | +100 |
| Connecticut Huskies | +340 |
| Providence Friars | +340 |
| Marquette Golden Eagles | +640 |
| Creighton Bluejays | +1275 |
| Xavier Musketeers | +1525 |
| Seton Hall Pirates | +1600 |
| St. John’s Red Storm | +2700 |
| Butler Bulldogs | +4700 |
| Depaul Blue Demons | +16000 |
| Georgetown Hoyas | +24000 |
Big East Conference Preview
Before the canceled 2020 season, Villanova won the Big East Tournament four times in five years. That includes a three-year streak from 2017 to 2019. They may not be the No. 1-seed, but the Wildcats have a 23-7 record this year. They had the 15th-most difficult strength of schedule. They are justifiably the favorites at top sportsbooks online.
Connecticut has struggled with injuries. The Huskies still boast one of the best non-conference wins of the season on their resume. A double-overtime win over Auburn in November. The Providence Friars won the Big East regular-season title for the first time in the history of the school.
They had an impressive non-conference win against Texas Tech. They are the luckiest team in college basketball according to KenPom’s metrics for most of the year. What factors into their odds to win the tournament.
Marquette and Creighton have shown they can beat the elite talent in the conference. Each has three combined wins against the top three seeds. Seton Hall is the only other team in the conference that had more wins than losses in conference play.
Georgetown went just 7-9 in conference play last year before they embarked on an improbable run to win the Big East Tournament and get an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament. However, the Hoyas are unlikely to repeat their postseason success this time around. They are 0-19 in conference play.
The Providence Friars have one of the most experienced rosters in the country. As a result of that experience, the Friars delivered in highly-contested games. They won 10 of 12 that were decided by 5 points or fewer.
Big East Conference Conclusion
Experienced guard play is key to postseason success. The Friars have three guards with 3-plus years of playing time each in their college careers. Al Durham, Jared Bynum, and A.J. Reeves have a combined average 36.6 ppg and 9.7 apg for Providence this season. Each shot 75% or higher from the free-throw line.
Senior center Nate Watson scores 0.995 ppp in post-up situations. He leads the team in scoring with 13.7 ppg and grabs 5.5 rpg. He shoots 56% from the field. Waston holds opposing big men to 0.686 ppp when they post-up on him.
Providence will draw the winner of Xavier vs Buttler in the quarterfinals. Those are two teams the Friars have already defeated twice. In the semifinals, the Friars would draw the winner of Creighton vs Marquette. Two teams that rank outside the top 300 in KenPom’s experience metric.
The matchup most likely to occur in the Big East Tournament championship game is Providence vs. Villanova. The Wildcats beat the Friars twice this year. In the first game, the Friars, who converted 37.8% of their three-point attempts in conference play, shot 5/23 from deep at home versus Villanova. Providence finished the regular season with its second matchup versus the Wildcats on the road. They lost by just two points though Durham did not play.
