Let’s take a look at the odds and the ends for the Big East teams this coming tournament.
The 2022 NCAA Tournament begins this Thursday morning. The Big East is well represented of course, with six squads (Providence, Villanova, UConn, Creighton, Seton Hall, and Marquette) all featured in the bracket. Everyone’s got at least a puncher’s chance of making some noise, with some high seeds, and some intriguing possibilities with potential 1-seed matchups in the second round.
Let’s take a look at where each team is standing right now in Vegas. I decided to also make picks myself. Just don’t attack the messenger if you follow this, folks.
All odds come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. You can bet on the games here.
To win the NCAA Championship
Villanova (+1400)
UConn (+8000)
Marquette (+30000)
Seton Hall (+30000)
Creighton (+35000)
Providence (+20000)
Pick: If you made me pick here, I’d still probably take Villanova. That’s still a pretty great number all things considered. And they do have the benefit of the 2-line going for them. Plus, ‘Nova typically has done very well in NCAA Tournaments lately. This isn’t the early 2010s anymore, folks.
To make the Sweet 16
Villanova -295
UConn +115
Providence +425
Seton Hall +850
Creighton +900
Marquette +1000
Pick: I’d be torn between UConn and Providence here. Matchup-wise, UConn has a good draw in my opinion even as a 5-seed. The fact that the games are in Buffalo gives them a pretty great home-court advantage if Husky fans decide to travel. The same can be said for the Friars, who are not-so-shockingly being disrespected with this number. In March, I want my teams battle-tested and I don’t care if they eek out wins. You know what they say… ‘Survive and Advance.’
To make the Elite Eight
Villanova +130
UConn +750
Providence +1500
Seton Hall +2000
Creighton +2500
Marquette +2800
Pick: In this case, you have to play this one smartly here. UConn and Providence would both be in line to face 1 seeds. Can they give them games? Anything’s possible. Would I take them? Probably not. Villanova +130 would be my pick if I had to make one here. Though I suppose a small amount on either UConn or PC, in the likely event they’re able to knock off their most likely Sweet 16 foe, wouldn’t hurt you either.
Region Winner
To win the West Region
Providence +3500
Creighton +5000
To win the East Region
Marquette +6000
To win the West Region
UConn +1500
Pick: DraftKings was absent the South Region here. So as a result of that, of these choices, UConn or Providence would have to be the choice here.
To Make the 2022 Final Four
Villanova +300
UConn +1500
Providence +3500
Creighton +5000
Seton Hall +6000
Marquette +6000
Pick: Certainly think that if I had the choice that Villanova +300 would be a good pick, especially at this stage.
Spreads, Moneyline
Providence -2 (ML -135) vs. South Dakota State
Marquette +3.5 (ML +150) vs. North Carolina
UConn -6.5 (ML -290) vs. New Mexico State
Creighton +2 (ML +115) vs. San Diego State
Villanova -15.5 (ML -1750) vs. Delaware
Seton Hall -1 (ML -110) vs. TCU
Pick: I think Creighton-SDSU could really go either way, so I’d look at either of those numbers quite honestly. I’m staying far away from Providence-SDSU, passing on Marquette-UNC and UConn-NMSU, as well as SHU-TCU. Villanova -15.5 is also a consideration, but numbers that big in my opinion aren’t worth the pursuit.
Totals
Providence-South Dakota State: 149.5
Marquette-UNC: 152
UConn-NMSU: 132
Creighton-SDSU: 120
Villanova-Delaware: 133.5
Seton Hall-TCU: 138
Pick: PC-SDSU and Nova-Delaware’s overs would be my choices if you gave them to me. Everything else feels a little bit too tight. I think we get a lot of offense in those two matchups and so the totals will be ballooned over there. I would probably not go too much further than those current lines, but as they stand, that’s where I’d go.