The SEC will take all the headlines this season as America’s best league, but when conference tournament time rolls around, all eyes rightfully turn to the Big East.
One of the last bastions of regional rivalries amid a world of conference realignment, the Big East has more juice than any other league and plays its annual tournament in The World’s Most Famous Arena.
Read below for Big East picks, odds and the bracket, including best bets for the 2025 conference tournament.
2025 Big East Tournament Odds & Bracket
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| St. John’s | +155 |
| Creighton | +370 |
| UConn | +400 |
| Marquette | +550 |
| Xavier | +850 |
| Villanova | +1500 |
| Butler | +6500 |
| Georgetown | +9000 |
| Providence | +2500 |
| DePaul | +30000 |
| Seton Hall | +30000 |
Odds via DraftKings
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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Team on the Edge: Villanova +1500″ subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/vil.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
Most college basketball coaches get more than three years to build a program. Kyle Neptune is closing his third season leading the Wildcats, but he’s yet to make the NCAA Tournament and the Wildcats are well outside of the bubble this year.
A miracle run this week might not even be enough to save Neptune’s job, but it’s certainly the most likely way for him to return next season.
If you live in a world with glasses half full, you could squint and see Villanova winning a few games to save its coach.
The Wildcats start with lowly Seton Hall, which they swept this season. Villanova’s quarterfinal opponent would be a UConn team it beat in January and battled to the final minute in mid-February.
I shade on the pessimistic side, given how this team limped to the finish — with a loss to Georgetown in the regular season finale — and the prospect of a semifinal matchup with a Creighton team that swept the Wildcats.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Most Motivated Team: Xavier +850″ subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/xav.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
Bracketology aggregator Bracket Matrix places Xavier as the final team in the Field of 68, as it’s teetering on the bubble.
Securing the fifth-seed in the Big Apple did wonders for the Musketeers, avoiding an all-risk, little reward Wednesday night game, in place of a quarterfinal duel with ranked Marquette.
Sean Miller and company split with the Golden Eagles in the regular season, with each team winning by just two points on the road.
I’m certainly intrigued by Xavier against the spread on Thursday, as it has a real chance to outmuscle and outshoot Marquette.
The Musketeers, winners of seven straight games, are a live ‘dog in that matchup, and potentially could keep that momentum rolling through the week to secure a tournament bid.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Team to Avoid: Marquette +550″ subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/marq.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
The Golden Eagles started Big East play 9-1, looking again like the class of the league. Since then, Marquette has dropped six of 10.
Those four late-season wins all came over teams with no postseason hope, with none even warranting a mention in this preview.
In fact, Marquette hasn’t won a game against a team forecasted in the NCAA Tournament field since January 3.
Early-season non-conference wins over Wisconsin, Georgia, Maryland and Purdue look like ancient history now.
Prior to December 10, Marquette played as the 11th-best team in the nation, per Bart Torvik. Since December 10, that ranking drops to 35th. Back that date up to February 1, and that ranking drops again to 44th.
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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Wildcard Team: Creighton +370″ subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/crei.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
No team in this conference is as hard to peg on a game-to-game basis than the Bluejays.
Some of that is due to Greg McDermott’s philosophies for his team. Creighton, as usual, leads the Big East in 3-point rate attempted and allowed, as well as assist rate for and against.
The Bluejays consistently bet on themselves to either get quality looks at the rim or a kickout 3, playing through All-American Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Defensively, Kalkbrenner mans the paint, allowing no easy looks at the rim while his teammates close out hard to force opponents into the mid-range or a challenge with the big man in the middle.
In previous years, this game plan worked better than it does this season. That’s due to major turnover issues on the offensive end of the floor.
Creighton’s looks at the rim are incredibly efficient, yet the Bluejays waste too many possessions. No team in the Big East has the ball stolen more often, and Creighton ranks 260th nationally in turnover avoidance.
Creighton could shoot its way out of some ugly offense, but I won’t put my money behind that.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Team to Beat: St. John’s +220″ subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/sju.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
We live in a world where the Johnnies are the top seed and the betting favorite on their home floor in the Big East Tournament, with coaching legend Rick Pitino leading the way.
Undeniably, this team has been fun to watch this season and deserves all of the praise it’s received to date.
I am, however, skeptical of its chances to make a major impact this March. Pitino is still one of the best coaches in the sport and this team defends as good as any in the country.
The Red Storm offense, on the other hand, has its issues.
The Johnnies rank 345th in college basketball in 3-point percentage. In Big East play, they shot 26.8% from beyond the arc.
I know that despite that, they won the league with some cushion, but it’s hard to see a team without the weapon of the 3-point shot in its arsenal capable of making runs at the Garden and in the Big Dance.
Yes, there’s a chance St. John’s shoots better in the postseason, though the real issue is the reluctance to shoot from deep. The Red Storm took 3s at the lowest rate in the conference and perhaps worst of all, aren’t really any better inside the arc.
St. John’s shot the third-worst percentage on 2-pointers and second-worst on free throws in Big East play, only saving itself with copious offensive rebounds.
“Chuck it up and go get it” worked all season. But I have my doubts that it can survive in single-elimination tournament play.
The Johnnies won’t go down without a fight, though — and they are built to win fights.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Team to Bet – UConn +400″ subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/uconn.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
This feels like guessing the end of a Marvel movie. There were ups and downs, but don’t we all secretly know who will come out on top in the end? Isn’t it the two-time reigning national champions, who are currently winners of four straight?
Beyond the seeming inevitability of the Huskies, I really like their path through the bracket. I’d back UConn in potential games against faltering Villanova, trick-or-treat Creighton and a St. John’s team that can’t score consistently.
And that’s the toughest possible path.
Sign me up right now for Huskies and Johnnies at the Garden on Saturday for the title, with a 4-1 ticket on Dan Hurley’s boys in hand.
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