Betting on the Big East: The NCAA’s Top Conference
Just how good is the Big East in NCAA college basketball this season? If the most recent installments of the Associated Press’ men’s basketball rankings are to be trusted: very.
As a result, betting on college basketball has never been more intriguing.
Currently six teams in the 16-team conference are ranked in the top 25 spots for the entire nation, three of which find themselves in the top seven. In addition to the six contenders (from No. 2-seeded Pittsburgh to No. 23-seeded Louisville), two other programs have spent time in the AP’s Top 25 as recently as last week.
Although West Virginia and Cincinnati have suffered recent backs - Cincinnati’s of course slightly more excusable than WV’s recent loss to unranked Marshall - the conference is still by in large the most competitive of any in the country. Had it not been for recent back-to-back losses against lethal No. 9 Syracuse and No. 15 Notre Dame, the Bearcats would be just as feared as ever.
Instead, however, they find themselves on the outside looking in at the six teams currently jostling for spotlight in the polls.
This Saturday, fans of the Big East and NCAA bettors alike will tune in as pair of games pit some of their top contenders against each other.
At noon on Jan. 29, the No. 5 seed Connecticut Huskies will try their luck against the Louisville Cardinals. The Cards slipped up recently against lowly Providence but will have their shot at redemption. A big time win over a big time program would do wonders for their ranking after slipping four spots from No. 19 last week.
Meanwhile, the No. 8-ranked Villanova Wildcats will host Georgetown as they look to continue building on momentum that they gained taking down Syracuse on Jan. 22. Was the Wildcats win over the Orange a fluke?
With such a variety of contenders vying for position in the conference, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the intensity of the Big East. The No. 2-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers are the lone undefeated team left in the conference. How will the rest of the pack unfold?
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