The Georgetown Hoyas came from out of nowhere to win the Big East tournament a short season ago. They entered it owners of a .500 overall record while managing just seven wins through 16 played conference games. Their odds of winning the tourney clocked in at a robust 120-1! Whenever anyone tells you that something can’t happen in the month of March, just tell them to Google the 2020-21 Big East tourney results and watch their jaw drop to the floor. So who has it in them to mimic the Hoyas feat this time around? Could it be the Hoyas? If it shockingly comes to fruition a second straight year, they’d pay off at even handsomer odds at BetRivers Sportsbook. I personally don’t give them much of a shot and believe you can Sharpie the Providence Friars into the finals right now. Though Ed Cooley’s squad might go down in history as the luckiest college hoops team to ever lace ‘em up, the team plays with the heart and moxie of a champion. Things get a bit more interesting in the bottom half of the bracket where the tourney dominators – otherwise known as the Villanova Wildcats – reside. In my book, Jay Wright’s kids are the best team this conference has to offer regardless of not winning the regular season title. With Nova my favorite to hold serve, the following are my underdog and longshot selections to make things a bit more interesting in front of a packed Madison Square Garden.

Big East Tournament Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

Villanova +150

UConn +300

Providence +500

Marquette +700

Seton Hall +1000

Xavier/St. John’s +1200

Creighton +1600

DePaul +5000

Butler +8000

Georgetown +15000

Favorite to Bet: Villanova Wildcats +150

Before COVID cancelled the 2020 Big East tourney, the Wildcats had gone on to cut down the nets the prior three seasons. Then last year, the team was forced to enter the postseason without the services of standout point guard Collin Gillespie after succumbing to a season-ending knee injury at the tail end of the regular season. Guess what? He’s back and the Wildcats are all the better for it in racking up 23 overall wins to go along with a 16-4 conference record. Clocking in as the No. 10 ranked team in the nation per the most current installment of the Pomeroy Ratings, Villanova is a team that hasn’t seemed to get its just due from linemakers all season long. Even with an injury to arguably their best player last season, Nova entered the BE tourney -150 favorites to cut down the nets. Now 100 percent healthy, they’re actually offering up a plus-money return! Granted, the conference has gotten better as a whole, but this team is still the cream of the crop. Ranked amongst the top-35 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the Wildcats hit their free throws (No. 1), take care of the basketball (No. 27), rank amongst the top-50 from beyond the arc, and play to one of the slowest tempos in all the land (No. 345). They’re a frustrating team to play, and they make you pay whenever a mistake is made. Don’t overthink it or get cute; just throw a unit on the conference elite and thank me later.

Underdog to Bet: Providence Friars +500

Though the Friars rank out as the luckiest team in the country per KenPom’s luck factor, I’m still more than willing to take a roll of the dice with the regular season Big East champs. It entered the year +3300 to pull off that feat! Regardless, the Friars kept the pedal to the metal en route to tallying a 24-4 overall record which included only dropping three games in conference play. Though two of those losses came against Villanova, they came by an average of just 3.5 points in a pair of high scoring affairs. The guard quadrant of Nate Watson (13.7 PPG), Aljami Durham (13.3 PPG/3.4 APG), Jared Bynum (12.9 PPG/4.5 APG), and A.J. Reeves (10.4 PPG) is flat-out fun to watch. The path to the finals is more than doable. It’ll get Xavier or Butler in the quarters. Should it advance, they’ll get injury-riddled Creighton whom they recently pounded sans Ryan Nembhard, or Marquette whom they split against. I got Nova reaching the finals in the bottom bracket; will the third time be the charm? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it should play out to one heck of a game!

Longshot to Bet: St. John’s Red Storm +1200

I personally don’t believe any team in the lower half of the bracket has what it takes to overcome Gillespie and company. Though UConn managed a split in the regular season, it got throttled in the Wells Fargo Center and only pushed as 2-point favorites in a 71-69 decision back home in the rematch. The Huskies were nothing if not average when away from the XL Center (5-5, 3-7 ATS). If there was a team that could figure out the riddle on how to dispose of the annual Big East tourney dominators, I think it to be the Johnnies. And it has everything to do with one man – Julian Champagnie. This kid is arguably the best overall player in the conference in averaging 18.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, while dishing out 2.0 assists per game. If a player of his caliber gets hot, watch out! Could he summon the spirit of 2006 Jerry McNamara and will the Red Storm to an auto bid to the Dance? I seriously wouldn’t put it past him. If it were to happen, he’ll have to amp his game up should they get by DePaul in the first round after only managing 21 total points in both regular season skirmishes with the Wildcats. He’ll need more; much, much more!