2025 Big East Conference Basketball Tournament
There’s nothing quite like the Big East conference tournament at Madison Square Garden, and this year’s event should be particularly interesting. While UConn is a two-time defending national champion and won this tournament last year, it’s Rick Pitino and St. John’s that enter as tournament favorites this season. Basketball is just better when the Red Storm are good, and this tournament definitely has a little extra juice with St. John’s playing for the title in New York. But St. John’s will have to play very well to win this thing. UConn is once again a factor in the conference, and Creighton, Xavier and Marquette will all be looking to win this. That said, keep reading for an in-depth Big East tournament betting preview, complete with players to watch, a darkhorse pick and a prediction on which program will win.
How to Watch the Big East Conference Tournament
When: March 12 – 15
Where: Madison Square Garden in New York City
Format: Seeding based on record in conference; top-five seeds receive byes to quarterfinals
Watch: FS1, FOX; Championship Game on FOX at 6:30 pm ET
College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings
Big East Tournament Bracket
Big East Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
- St. John’s Red Storm (+155)
- Creighton Bluejays (+370)
- Connecticut Huskies (+400)
- Xavier Musketeers (+850)
- Marquette Golden Eagles (+550)
- Villanova Wildcats (15-1)
- Georgetown Hoyas (90-1)
- Providence Friars (250-1)
- Butler Bulldogs (65-1)
- DePaul Blue Demons (300-1)
- Seton Hall Pirates (300-1)
(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)
Favorite To Win Big East Conference Tournament
St. John’s is the betting favorite in the Big East. The Red Storm rattled off six consecutive wins to end the regular season, including victories over Creighton and Marquette. And all in all, St. John’s finished the regular season with an overall record of 27-4 and a Big East record of 18-2. St. John’s is the 17th-ranked team in our VSiN Power Ratings, but KenPom has the Red Storm 15th and EvanMiya has them 11th. The strength of this St. John’s team is the defense, as the Red Storm are a top-five defensive team in college basketball. The question will be whether they can score efficiently enough to find postseason success. Pitino has joked all year long about how it kills him watching his players shoot, and the stats do tell a horrific story about their ability to knock down jumpers. St. John’s is 340th in the nation in 3PT% (29.9%) and 342nd in 3-point rate (30.8%). Can the team win the conference — and a national championship — without matching the production of teams that like to gun 3s?
Big East Conference Tournament Darkhorse
A lot of people have ripped Kyle Neptune for some of the leads that have gotten away from Villanova this year, and all of that criticism is fair. However, it does say something about the Wildcats that they were in positions to beat good teams in the first place. That said, when looking for a longer shot in this conference, my mind immediately went to Villanova. The Wildcats went just 18-13 during the regular season, but they’re a top-20 team in the country when it comes to offensive efficiency. Eric Dixon is one of the best players in the conference, capable of taking over games with his tremendous three-level scoring. The team also has some snipers in the backcourt, with Wooga Poplar being the one that stands out. If Villanova can just ratchet things up defensively, a run isn’t completely out of the question. And the Wildcats are on the right side of the bracket, as they’ll likely face UConn and Creighton in the quarterfinals and semifinals. They won’t have to dance with St. John’s until a potential championship matchup.
Players to Watch in Big East Conference Tournament
Villanova’s Dixon is one of the best players in the conference. The forward is averaging 23.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this year, and he’s fifth in the Big East in BPM. Most of that comes from Dixon being first in Offensive BPM. The Wildcats are an absurdly good offensive team, and Dixon leads the way. If Villanova makes a run this week, it’ll be because Dixon carried the program on his shoulders.
Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner actually leads the Big East in BPM. The big man has always been known as an elite rim protector, but his offensive game has come a long way over the years. He’s averaging a career-high 19.4 points per game this year, and he has become a legitimate floor-spacing option for the Bluejays. Not many teams have a center like him, which is why Creighton has a shot every night. The team also has some productive guards, with Steven Ashworth being one of them. He’s averaging 16.8 points and 7.0 assists per game this year. He’s a lights out 3-point shooter and can really make plays for teammates.
For St. John’s, the names to know are RJ Luis Jr., Zuby Ejiofor and Kadary Richmond. Luis is averaging 18.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, but it’s Richmond that is third in the Big East in BPM. And Richmond actually leads the conference in Defensive BPM. All of these players leave everything on the floor every night, which is why they’re all insanely productive without having the greatest shooting numbers.
Marquette has two awesome players in Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell. Jones averages 18.9 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Golden Eagles. He’s one of the most dynamic offensive players in the conference and has been a part of a few great Marquette teams. And Mitchell averages 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He seems to make all the right plays and is the type of guy opponents never want to face.
Xavier big man Zach Freemantle should also be recognized. He’s averaging 17.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this year, and he’s a load around the basket. Xavier has the potential to do some good things over the next few weeks because of Freemantle’s ability to impact games in the paint.
Of course, UConn has also has some hoopers, with Alex Karaban, Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley all being capable of really impacting games offensively. McNeeley should be a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. And big men Tarris Reed Jr. and Samson Johnson both have the ability to put a lid on the rim when they’re engaged.
Betting Pick to Win The Big East Conference Tournament
While I mentioned Villanova as a darkhorse to win the tournament, I actually view UConn as the best bet you can make here. While Dan Hurley has done nothing but complain about this year’s roster, there isn’t a team in the Big East that can top the Huskies when it comes to offensive efficiency. UConn is 15th in the nation in 2PT%, shoots a respectable 35.3% from 3 and also happens to be great when it comes to hitting the offensive glass. The Huskies just fall short of previous Hurley teams when it comes to taking care of the ball (17.3% turnover rate) and locking in defensively. But that feels like something that some postseason urgency can fix. Overall, I just like the roster balance UConn has, and Huskies fans are going to show up in a big way at MSG. So, while this season has been disappointing for UConn, I still think there could be some special things ahead.
Steve Makinen Power Ratings
Steve Makinen’s Betting Trends for the Big East Conference Tournament
- Only three of the last 22 Big East quarterfinal teams that enjoyed a round 1 bye has lost to a team that played, going 14-8 ATS (63.6%).
- Big East tourney favorites in the -5 to -9.5 range have been vulnerable, 23-13 SU but 11-25 ATS (30.6%) over the last 11 seasons.
- Big East quarterfinal double-digit favorites are on a 12-2 ATS (85.7%) run since 2006. For the tournament, double-digit favorites are on an 11-4 ATS (73.3%) surge.
- Big East semifinal dogs have been a very profitable play of late, 8-10 SU but 14-4 ATS (77.8%) since 2015.
- Twelve of the last 14 Big East championship games have gone Under the total (85.7%).
More Steve Makinen Conference Tournament Betting Trends.
Check out the other previews in our 2025 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.
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