The Villanova Wildcats appear to be headed for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year with a 28-3 straight up and 17-14 against the spread record on the regular season. But before March Madness begins, the Wildcats will try to pick up their third Big East Tournament win in school history.
Big East tournament odds 2017: Villanova a big favorite to win their conference tournament
The Villanova Wildcats are the clear favorite at the sportsbooks to win this year’s Big East Tournament in New York over the Butler Bulldogs and Creighton Bluejays.
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Villanova is a -130 favorite on the odds to win the Big East Tournament at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Wildcats won the Big East Tournament in 2015 and were six-point favorites in the championship game last season, but failed to defend their title after losing to Seton Hall 69-67.
The sting of that loss didn’t linger too long for the Wildcats, who went on a 6-0 SU and ATS run to become national champions last year.
Villanova’s postseason begins on Thursday against the winner of Wednesday’s St. John’s (+6600 to win the Big East Tournament) vs. Georgetown (+2800) matchup.
Two of Villanova’s three losses this season came to the Butler Bulldogs. Butler (+450) beat the Wildcats both at home and on the road by eight points, and should have plenty of confidence against Villanova in a potential meeting in the final.
The Bulldogs earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament with a 23-7 SU and 18-12 ATS record on the college basketball lines this season. They’ll face the winner of Wednesday’s Xavier (+1200) vs. DePaul (+20000) game on Thursday.
The Creighton Bluejays (+550) surged out of the gate to an 18-1 SU start, but then ended the season with a disappointing 5-7 SU and ATS run over their last 12 games. The Bluejays have the talent for a deep run, but will need to get back on track in a hurry coming into the tournament cold at 1-3 SU and ATS over their last four games. Creighton takes on Providence (+2500) on Thursday night.
The No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup pits Marquette (+900) against Seton Hall (+2000). Marquette could be a popular value play for bettors looking to avoid the chalk; the Golden Eagles enter this tournament on a 4-1 SU and ATS run that includes a 91-83 win over Creighton, and this team has a 74-72 win over Villanova on its resume from back in January.
Big East Tournament Betting Odds (per OddsShark.com)
Villanova -130
Butler +450
Creighton +550
Marquette +900
Xavier +1200
Seton Hall +2000
Providence +2500
Georgetown +2800
St. John’s +6600
DePaul +20000
