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2024 Big East Tournament Predictions with Betting Odds and Picks

by Robert Ferringo - 3/12/2024

Big East Tournament predictions Alex Karaban UConn Huskies

Yes, I’m absolutely biased, but for my money the biggest spectacle of Championship Week is still the Big East Tournament.

Played at The Mecca of Basketball, the rabid energy, wrenching physicality, and relentless intensity of this championship can rarely be matched. And as we line up for this week’s action I’m expecting another stressful, unpredictable, exhilarating four-day gauntlet featuring some of the top teams in the country.

Connecticut looks to continue exerting its dominance over the rest of the Beast field. Creighton and Marquette have proven themselves as formidable foes, and there will be plenty of other consequential games with NCAA Tournament implications featuring teams like Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova. The stage is set for an exciting series of matchups with results that could reverberate throughout the country.

The Big East Tournament will once again take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The first round opens on Wednesday, March 13, with the champion crowned on Saturday, March 16. Here is Doc’s Sports 2021 Big East Conference Tournament preview and predictions:

The Favorite: Connecticut (+225)

The defending national champions have only lost once since Christmas and are looking to hang another banner while also locking up a No. 1 seed in next week’s Big Dance. The Huskies have hammered top-tier teams like Texas (by 10), North Carolina (by 11), Gonzaga (by 13) and Creighton (by 14). They can hammer away at teams on the inside with Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan. They can win with their guards, led by Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, they have both a freshman offensive phenom (Stephon Castle) and a veteran defensive stopper (Hassan Diarra). The Huskies are a Top 15 team in both field goal offense and field goal defense and they average more than 17 points per game more than their opponents (81.1-64.0). Toss in a 21-10 mark against the spread this season and the Huskies are clearly one of the best teams in the sport.

The Contender: Creighton (+225)

The Bluejays are a Top 12 team according to the NET and KenPom rankings and they head to New York on a 7-1 straight up and ATS run. The Bluejays are one of the best offensive teams in the country, averaging over 80 points and posting in the Top 50 in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. The trio of Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander and Ryan Kalkbrenner combine to average 53.1 points, 21.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. The Bluejays have recently blown out both Connecticut and Villanova and are looking for their first Big East tournament title after losing in the finals in both 2021 and 2022. 

The Sleeper: Marquette (+230)

The big story surrounding the defending tournament champs involves point guard Tyler Kolek. Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team all-conference pick, is a critical part of the Golden Eagles offense. He is one of the nation’s assist leaders and makes this team go on the offensive end. Kolek has missed the past three games with an oblique injury and is questionable to make an appearance in NYC. The Eagles were competitive in games against Creighton and Connecticut and beat Xavier without Kolek. But not having their best player would clearly put a ceiling on what this team’s expectations are in this tournament.

The Spoiler: Villanova (+1000)

Villanova’s NCAA Tournament hopes are on life support after back-to-back sloppy losses to close out the regular season. They could’ve punched their ticket with a win at home over Creighton last Saturday. Instead, they fell behind 21-3 and ended up losing on a last-second shot. Kyle Neptune is clearly not Jay Wright. And this Wildcats team has been an erratic mess over the past two seasons. They have talent, four senior starters, and experience coming off the bench. The tools are there for a big run. But with their overreliance on the 3-point shot they could either shoot their way to the semifinals of this tournament or flame out quickly.

Early Round Matchup To Watch:

No. 4 Seton Hall (+3.5) vs. No. 5 St. John’s (Noon, Thursday, March 14)

I normally do a “bubble team to watch” in these previews. It was unnecessary because this game is essentially an NCAA Tournament play-in game. The winner of this game will likely punch its ticket to The Big Dance and the loser is likely headed for the NIT. Oh, yeah, and the winner gets to move on and face Connecticut in the semifinals.

These are two local schools and heated rivals. Seton Hall swept the regular season series, including a 15-point beat down in Newark back on Jan. 16. Could the Pirates beat the Red Storm a third straight time? St. John’s enters this tournament on a five-game winning streak and playing their best basketball of the season. Also, there will be nine senior starters for the two teams in this game, with several fifth-year seniors on both rosters. This is going to be a grown man’s game between two of the most experienced teams in the country, with someone’s dreams getting crushed by the outcome.

No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 6 Villanova (9:30 p.m., Thursday, March 14)

Villanova should be able to handle a 3-28 DePaul team in the opening round. That would set up a must-win game against the Golden Eagles in the quarterfinals. Villanova lost two regular season meetings that were dominated by Kolek, who scored 32 points in both while adding 20 assists. We still don’t know Kolek’s status, though, or how effective he will be. Regardless, Villanova has beaten Creighton and North Carolina this season so they are capable of dialing up a big effort. Will they be able to shoot down a Marquette team that should pound them in the paint?

2024 Big East Conference Tournament Predictions: I know it is boring, but I have to go with Connecticut to cut down the nets here. They are simply too much for the rest of this league. And unlike some of the other favorites in other conferences (North Carolina, Houston), depth isn’t really a problem for the Huskies. I think that they are on a collision course with Creighton in the championship. The two teams split the regular season meetings, with the home team blowing out the visitor both times, so I’ll call for Connecticut to win a close game against the Bluejays Saturday night to claim the title.

Robert Ferringo is a member of the Basketball Writer's Association of America and a professional sports handicapper for Doc's Sports. He is considered one of the best college basketball handicappers in the country and has posted 12 of 15 winning seasons. He is looking for a monster March run and you can sign up for his college basketball picks and get more information here.

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