NCAA Basketball Spreads - The Big East

by Bodog Sportsbook | Feb 20 2008

The Big East

If basketball were video poker, the Big East would be holding a full house: two aces in Georgetown and UCONN, two kings in Louisville and Notre Dame and a wild card in Syracuse. The throw-away cards would be Marquette and Pittsburgh.

The Aces
Georgetown – The Hoyas have been a little shaky of late but are still the class of the conference. Roy Hibbert was ready for the NBA last season but came back in his quest for a national title. Anything less than a Final Four berth for the Hoyas will be considered failure.
Odds on Georgetown to win NCAA Tournament - 12/1 (odds current as of Feb 20)

UCONN – The Huskies haven’t lost in a month and look scary closing out the season. They finish with a relatively weak schedule which should lock them into a high seed come tournament time. Look out for center Hasheem Thabeet, who has developed into an absolute monster in the middle.
Odds on UCONN to win NCAA Tournament - 9/1

The Kings
Louisville – The Cardinals suffered through a slump in the middle of the season but coach Rick Pitino has his boys firing on all cylinders coming into the Big East conference tournament.
Odds on Louisville to win NCAA Tournament - 10/1

Notre Dame – The Fighting Irish own their home floor and will be dangerous when the tournament starts. Expect them to jump on the back of big man and likely Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody, who recently put up 32 points and grabbed 16 boards facing UCONN and Thabeet.
Odds on Notre Dame to win NCAA Tournament - 50/1

The Wild Card
Syracuse – The Orangemen are my wild-card team. I know they sit ninth in the conference but they upset Georgetown before suffering a loss on the road to Louisville. If they can pull off another upset by doing the unthinkable and beating the Irish in South Bend, Donte Greene and the rest of the Orangemen could be fitted for some glass slippers come tournament time.
Odds on Syracuse to win NCAA Tournament - 70/1

The Throw-Away Cards
Marquette – Marquette have been in and out and back in again in the top 25 rankings. They rely too much on their shooters, but if the hands get hot they may make it to the second round.
Odds on Marquette to win NCAA Tournament - 75/1

Pittsburgh – The Panthers started hot but fell down somewhere along the line and are sitting on the outside of the top 25 looking in. They have the hardest remaining schedule of all the Big East contenders and they shouldn’t expect a return to the top 25 this season.
Odds on Pittsburgh to win NCAA Tournament - 45/1

The Bubble
West Virginia – The Mountaineers should be in as long as they don’t have a bad loss in their remaining games.
Odds on West Virginia to win NCAA Tournament - 100/1

The Rest
Cincinnati Bearcats, Villanova Wildcats, Seton Hall Pirates, DePaul Blue Demons, St. Johns Red Storm, Providence Friars, South Florida Bulls and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights should either start thinking about the NIT or next year because the 2008 NCAA tournament will pass them by.