The Big East Conference Championship Tournament tips off Wednesday with Villanova playing Syracuse at Noon EST, running straight through until the final whistle of the Marquette/Seton Hall game which doesn’t tip off until 9:00 PM EST. There are about 8 teams in this field of 12 that could legitimately make a run for the Big East title. The four teams with a first round bye, Georgetown, UConn, Louisville, and Notre Dame obviously have a leg up on the competition, but nothing is promised in a conference this good. West Virginia, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Villanova are teams that might make a run with a little bit of luck on their side as they are all excellent basketball teams.
The favorite in this field has to be Georgetown. They are ranked #9 in the nation and have the best conference and overall record in the Big East. During the regular season, however, the Hoyas did lose to Syracuse, Louisville, and Pittsburgh so they are by no means invincible. In fact, the Hoyas will face either Villanova or Syracuse in Georgetown’s first tournament game, so they may have to play the Orange for a third time after losing to them early in the season and barely pulling out a 64-62 victory the second time they met. With all of that being said, Georgetown is the clear pick to win this thing, though Louisville is not far behind.
The beauty of this tournament is the tremendous talent from top to bottom. I can’t think of another conference tournament where there are 8 legitimate contenders. UConn and Marquette are my dark horse picks to grab the title, but, in the Big East, there really isn’t a dark horse to pick from.
Here are the odds to win the Big East Conference Tournament as Posted at BetUS.com:
Georgetown 2/1
Louisville 5/2
Notre Dame 11/2
Connecticut 11/2
West Virginia 8/1
Marquette 8/1
Pittsburgh 10/1
Syracuse 15/1
Villanova 20/1
Providence 40/1
Seton Hall 45/1
Cincinnati 50/1
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- Big East Tournament glance
- March Madness – Odds On Which Conference Will Win The 2007-2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament
- NCAA Tournament Odds – Who Has The Best Odds to Win March Madness?
- Big 12 Conference Tournament Preview
- College Basketball Tips – 1/20/2008
