The 2023 Big East Tournament will crank up on Wednesday, March 8, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The opening game will pit Butler against St. John's at 3 PM Eastern.
The 5:30 PM Eastern matchup will have DePaul facing off against Seton Hall. The nightcap at 8 PM Eastern will feature Georgetown taking on Villanova. Get our Big East Tournament preview and best bets right here!
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Best Bet to Win Big East Tournament: Connecticut
Best Available Odds: +220 at BetMGM
UConn had been near the top of the rankings this season and plummeted outside of the Top 25 at one point. They finished up with a 24-7 record and a 13-7 record inside the Big East. They have won 8 of their last 9 games, including 5 straight victories.
They are playing the best ball in the conference despite not winning the regular season title. That honor went to Marquette for the 1st time in conference history.
Marquette’s last loss this season came to these Huskies in blowout fashion. Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins led the way for the Huskies with a combined 33.3 points and 11.1 boards per game.
This UConn team is the best in the country in offensive rebounding percentage and a top 10 team in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting in 12th in defensive. Their 1st game will be a battle with Providence prior to likely facing #1 seed Marquette in the semi-finals.
While the road may be tough, we believe this Husky team is playing at the top of its ceiling and now know what issues could arise to knock them off their path.
Value Bet: Xavier Musketeers
Best Available Odds: +550 at DraftKings
Xavier finished 2nd in the regular season conference standings. Having gone 15-5 in Big East play and 23-8 overall, they have a #15 ranking in the AP Poll. They are riding a 3-game winning streak which includes road wins over Seton Hall and #20 Providence.
They will get the winner of Seton Hall and DePaul in the quarterfinals. Either opponent would be inferior to the Musketeers, and a victory there would lead to a matchup with Creighton or the winner of Nova/Gtown.
This Musketeers team is 10th in the country on offense, as they average 82.1 points per game. That ranking is helped since they are 5th in the country in 3-point percentage at almost 40% from beyond the arc. They are also 1st in the country in assists per game with 19.9.
Colby Jones averages 4.6 of those assists per game and 15.3 points per game. Jack Nunge, the 7-footer, is averaging close to 15 points per game as well but helps on the glass more than anything, with 7.7 boards per game.
Value Bet: Villanova
Best Available Odds: +1000 at DraftKings
Winners in 6 of their last 8 games, the Cats have seemingly turned things around after a tough beginning to their season. Those 2 losses came against Providence and UConn, both teams they would not face in this tournament until the finals. They’ve already shown they have the ability to defeat Creighton, as they did a couple of weeks ago with their full roster.
Eric Dixon has come into his own and leads the Cats in points (15.7) and rebounds (6.4) per game. However, it has been the addition of Cam Whitmore and Justin Moore that has led the Cats to their recent success.
They are #1 in the country in team free throw percentage, which helps them win close games. More importantly, they are in the Top 20 in turnovers per game.
They only cough it up less than 10 times per game, which gives them more opportunities to run through their methodical offense that loves to run the shot clock down to the final seconds. This will be the 1st time in quite some time that the Cats are playing in the opening round here at the Big East tourney.
