There’s perhaps nothing more romantic in sports than the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Things get extra fun when St. John’s is percolating as a budding Final Four contender.
Rick Pitino’s group is a +155 favorite to win the Big East title at DraftKings Sportsbook, followed by Creighton at +370.
The top-seed Johnnies are the apple of everyone’s eye going into the tournament, as their strong defensive chops and rebounding prowess (sixth) are among the best in college hoops.
They’re rightful favorites going into the tournament, boasting solid scoring around the rim, Pitino’s typical hard-nosed style of play and a strong No. 15 rating on KenPom.
Where things get hairy for the Johnnies is their shooting. They can score around the rim, but their ceiling is capped by the 340th rated 3-point percentage (29.9 percent).
The last team to be that bad at 3-point shooting and win the NCAA Tournament was Pitino’s Louisville squad in 2013 (since vacated), which shot 32.9 percent from deep.
St. John’s could easily come away victorious here, but its odds of doing so are a bit short considering a dangerous field that includes a solid Marquette squad, as well as Creighton, Villanova and Dan Hurley’s battle-tested and back-to-back defending national champion UConn team.
Here are some Big East Tournament wagers to consider making:
Big East Tournament odds
| Team | odds |
|---|---|
| St. John’s | +155 |
| Creighton | +370 |
| UConn | +400 |
| Marquette | +550 |
| Xavier | +850 |
| Villanova | 15/1 |
| Butler | 65/1 |
| Georgetown | 90/1 |
| Providence | 250/1 |
| DePaul | 300/1 |
The long shot: Villanova (15/1, Caesars)
The Wildcats have a hard time closing out games they have led by double-digit margins.
Their 18-13 record should really look a lot like 23-8, but alas, here we are, poking around a long-shot bet to win.
With forward Eric Dixon leading the way at 23.6 points per game, the Wildcats play a style that can give St. John’s fits should the teams meet in the final.
Villanova is ranked 20th in offensive efficiency and its defensive rating is slightly better than average (120).
KenPom’s rankings are in line with the odds, putting the Wildcats as the sixth-best team in the field, but at 15/1 and considering they blew eight leads that oddsmakers project they should win 80 percent of the time, those are good enough odds for to take a stab.
Don’t forget the Wildcats led UConn by 14 points with 12 minutes left in their mid-February matchup in Storrs, Conn. before losing, 66-59. Talk about going cold at the wrong time.
The Wildcats just need to be more poised under pressure.
To be fair, that pressure will be amplified in the tournament, but if Villanova is competent enough to beat Xavier and St. John’s in back-to-back games in February, it is good enough for me to bet on at these long-shot odds.
The Wildcats are just good enough to talk yourself into.
If St. John’s goes down early: Creighton (+450, BetMGM)
UConn is certainly playing better, but that’s not the team I trust on that side of the bracket.
Creighton has played everyone tough this season, covering the spread in 62.1 percent of games this year, one of the best marks in the NCAA.
The Bluejays are neck and neck in terms of rating on KenPom with UConn, but they typically dominate that matchup, going 8-3 in their past 11 games against the Huskies.
Second-seeded Creighton and third-seeded UConn would meet in the semifinals, provided both win their quarterfinals.
The Bluejays did lose the most recent meeting between the squads, but that game looked like an outlier more than anything.
The Bluejays allowed star freshman guard Liam McNeeley to score more than half of Connecticut’s 70 points (38), by far the most he has ever scored in a game.
Betting on College Basketball?
Assuming that kind of performance was a one-off game, Creighton has a deeper roster and should be able to snag a victory if that matchup does come to fruition in the semifinals.
Even if it faces St. John’s in the final, I’d like Creighton’s chances to pull the upset.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
