Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles came from out of nowhere to score the program’s second Big East regular season title. Kam Jones and his mates hit the board as gargantuan +4250 underdogs to do so at BetRivers Sportsbook. Congrats to any of you that had the foresight to take a stab at the outset of the regular season. Though the regular season champs opened the odds-on favorite to add a conference tournament title to the resume, it’s the UConn Huskies that the betting market has gravitated towards since the odds to win the Big East tournament hit the board. Honestly, I tend to agree with Dan Hurley’s kids once again looking like a complete team that will also be a major factor in the NCAA Tournament provided it doesn’t revert back into a pumpkin like it did in January. The Big East has been a top-heavy conference from the word go. That remains the case entering the tourney in my opinion. Here’s two to buy and one to fade when perusing the futures odds in hopes of pinpointing the team that cuts down the nets come Saturday night.

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 BUY: UConn Huskies +250

I bought into the Huskies hook, line, and sinker when they started the season off on a tear. I made a futures bet on UConn to win it all after skunking both Oregon and Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational, and took solace in the rate of return getting even shorter once it destroyed Iowa State in the title game immediately after. Make no bones about it; the 2022-23 Connecticut Huskies are built to win tournaments and steamroll its way past the opposition. Even when it managed just a pair of wins through eight tries once the calendar turned to January, the Pomeroy Ratings still had the Huskies ranking out as one of the best teams in the land.

Since dropping a tough 56-53 decision at Creighton as 4.5-point dogs back on February 11 – a game we took the points in – the Huskies have rattled off five straight wins and only failed to cover the closing CBB odds in one of those contests. The wins came by an average of 15.4 points per game! While none of those matchups came against the cream of the Big East crop, I fully expect Justin Hawkins and Adama Sonogo to have this team locked in and ready to win the program its first Big East tournament title since 2011. Provided it gets by a Friars outfit it just pasted 87-69 as 7.5-point home favorites, it’ll get a third crack at Marquette after splitting the season rivalry. I expect it to once again dominate the battle of the boards in that matchup and advance to face the winner of the bottom bracket.

Bottom line, there isn’t a team as balanced as the Huskies in the Big East. Falling off a cliff cost them dearly in the regular season – look for them to make amends with this second chance!

BUY: Xavier Musketeers +500

When healthy, there might not be a team that can hang with the Musketeers. Souley Boum, Jack Nunge, Adam Kunkel, and Colby Jones combine to form one of the nastiest foursomes in the country! After it was just announced Zach Freemantle would in fact not return for the Big East tourney and instead undergo season-ending foot surgery, the X-Men’s odds of winning three games in three days fattened up and I’m here for it. This is one of the more experienced teams in the country that still managed to win six of nine games with its big man out of commission (5-4 ATS).

This is a team that won seven of its 11 played road games with the blowout loss at Creighton the only one decided by double-digits. The other three defeats came by an average of just 1.3 points per game! This team sports one of the best offenses in the country that gets it done close to the rack (No. 27) as well as from long range (No. 4). Sean Miller’s troops are simply too talented to not be considered one of the favorites to cut down the nets. It swept both Georgetown and Seton Hall, and split with Villanova, DePaul, and Creighton in the regular season. It’s situated in what I deem to be the easier side of the bracket. Should it take full advantage, Xavier finds itself in the title game – hopefully against UConn!

SELL: Creighton Bluejays +320

So I’m noticing some interest in some of the big dogs at the bottom of the heap. Both St. John’s and Seton Hall have seen their odds to win this tournament get shorter. I just don’t see it! There’s a huge disparity between the wheat and the chaff in this conference. Don’t buy the hype! Also, don’t look for Creighton to make a deep run either. I had high hopes for Greg McDermott’s squad all season long. Once Ryan Kalkbrenner went down, I bought a futures ticket on the Bluejays knowing full well their rate of return would get much shorter once he got back onto the hardwood.

I was proven to be correct in that respect, but I’m not sold on this team making noise in MSG through the weekend. The lone holdup is a poor 5-6 SU road record that never once saw it score a win against any of the heavyweights. That win over Xavier occurred in the game Freemantle broke his foot, and I fully expect the Musketeers to exact revenge in the semis!

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