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NCAA basketball betting: Providence tries to get past Villanova in Big East tourney

Frank Schwab
NFL writer
·2 min read
6

The biggest thing lost during conference realignment might have been the old Big East tournament.

The Big East still has a competitive league and nothing beats Madison Square Garden, but it's not quite the same without Syracuse, Pitt and some others. Still, it's one of the better events of conference tournament week. Last year we saw Georgetown make a magical run to win the auto bid. This season it would take a true miracle for Georgetown to win the conference tourney, considering they went 0-19 in league play.

Here's what you need to know about the Big East tournament before betting it at BetMGM:

Standings

1. Providence (14-3 in conference, +500 odds to win at BetMGM)

2. Villanova (16-4, +165)

3. UConn (13-6, +400)

4. Creighton (12-7, +1200)

5. Marquette (11-8, +700)

6. Seton Hall (11-8, +1400)

7. St. John's (8-11, +2800)

8. Xavier (8-11, +2000)

9. Butler (6-14, +3500)

10. DePaul (6-14, +6600)

11. Georgetown (0-19, +25000)

Collin Gillespie and the Villanova Wildcats are one of the favorites to win the Big East tournament. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Favorites

  • Providence: The Friars won the regular season championship after winning many close games. Their great record in close games is a reason analytics aren't as high on Providence as its record or top seed in this tournament would indicate, but it is an experienced team that knows how to play under pressure. That will be an asset this month. The biggest problem with betting Providence is it went 0-2 against Villanova this season, though both losses were close.

  • Villanova: Providence fans won't like hearing it, but the Wildcats are the correct favorite for the tournament. They're fantastic on both sides of the floor and led by fantastic senior guard Collin Gillespie. This team isn't on the same level as Jay Wright's national title teams, but it's very good. That doesn't mean Providence or someone else can't knock off the Wildcats in what should be a highly competitive tournament.

A long shot worth considering

  • Marquette: In January, Marquette looked like a team that was gearing up for a deep March run. The Golden Eagles won seven in a row including wins against Providence and at Villanova. Marquette dipped after that, going 4-5 down the stretch. All of those losses were on the road, and while taking five of them wasn't ideal, it's hard to win on the road in the Big East. That team that looked so good in January is still lurking. Maybe Marquette can get hot again for one week.