Big East Conference Rundown

The standings are interesting right now because due to COVID-19 schedule interruptions, teams have played between seven and 11 conference games.

Villanova (-165) to still leading the way in the odds to win the Big East championship followed by Providence (+275) and UConn (+500).

Game of the Week

UConn Huskies at Villanova Wildcats

• Date, time, TV: Saturday, Noon ET

One of two matchups in the Big East this week featuring a pair of ranked teams is an intriguing showdown. No. 17 UConn has the top-scoring team in the conference, averaging 79.4 points, while 12th-ranked Villanova has the top defensive squad in the Big East, surrendering only 60.1 points per contest. The teams are also first and second in the conference in scoring margin.

The last four games in the series have all finished under the total.

No. 12 Villanova (16-5, 9-2 Big East) has defeated No. 17 UConn (15-4, 6-2) four times in a row, although the last two meetings have been decided by six and eight points.

UConn’s last win at Villanova came in 2012. The Wildcats are 8-1 at home this season.

Here is a team-by-team breakdown for those who bet online.

Butler Bulldogs

Butler travels to play at Xavier on Wednesday to continue a rivalry where both teams have had impressive streaks. After Xavier won four straight games and covered against the college basketball spreads in each of those contests, Butler won three in a row by a combined total of 11 points. The Musketeers rebounded to win three out of four, with the margin of victory being 13.3 points. Butler’s last four wins in the series are by a total 12 points.

The bad news for the Bulldogs is that they are 0-8 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this season.

Butler (11-10, 4-6) will play host to St. John’s on Saturday in a series where the home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings. The Bulldogs have won the last eight matchups played at home and covered in each of them.

Five of Butler’s last six games have gone over the total.

Bulldogs third-leading scorer Jayden Taylor is 2 for 14 from the field in his last three games.

Creighton Bluejays

Creighton is looking to make it a perfect 4-for-4 against UConn, winning on the road in 2020 and then taking two games from the Huskies last season. All three games were decided by eight points or less, with two of them going over the total.

Creighton (12-7, 4-4) travels to play Seton Hall on Friday and is eyeing a fifth consecutive win over the Pirates. The last two games in the series at Creighton have been won by the Bluejays by an average of 26.5 points.

The Bluejays come into the week trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season after failing to cover in losses to Butler and Xavier. Creighton is just 2-3 on the road.

Ryan Kalkbrenner is second in the Big East in blocked shots (3.1 per game).

DePaul Blue Demons

It will be a pretty quiet week for the Blue Demons, whose only game is at Xavier on Saturday. That could prove beneficial as Javon Freeman-Liberty, the leading scorer in the Big East, has been sidelined for the last four games due to a groin injury.

In the last 3 games without star Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul has only averaged 46.7 points.

The loss of JFL has been enormous for the Blue Demons. His 21 points per game, was severely missed tonight.

In the last 3 games without star Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul has only averaged 46.7 points.

The loss of JFL has been enormous for the Blue Demons. His 21 points per game, was severely missed tonight.

In the last 3 games without star Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul has only averaged 46.7 points.

The loss of JFL has been enormous for the Blue Demons. His 21 points per game, was severely missed tonight.

— Henry Eisenberg (@henryeeisenberg) January 30, 2022

Three of the last four games in the series have been decided by eight points or less.

DePaul (10-10, 1-9) has lost nine of its last 10 games, although the Blue Demons are 4-4 against the Las Vegas odds in their last eight games.

Each of DePaul’s last four games has gone under the total.

Georgetown Hoyas

Georgetown has won the last two games against Seton Hall and covered each time. Five of the last seven matchups between the teams went under the total.

The Hoyas will play host to St. John’s on Thursday looking to snap a two-game losing streak against their longtime rivals. The last two Georgetown victories in the series have been by a total of four points.

Georgetown (6-12, 0-7) has defeated Providence in two of the last three games hosted by the Hoyas, although they will be underdogs in Sunday’s matchup even if the Friars are the visiting team.

The last two games between Providence and Georgetown have gone over the total.

The Hoyas have lost their last eight games, a streak that nearly ended before the Hoyas lost by three at Butler on Saturday.

Three of Georgetown’s last four games have finished over the total.

Leading scorer Aminu Mohammed’s shooting numbers are down a little bit in home games, but he is averaging 13 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 15 steals at home.

Marquette Golden Eagles

No. 24 Marquette (15-7, 7-4) will play host to Villanova on Wednesday looking to sweep the season series after winning 57-54 at Villanova on Jan. 19 as a 13½-point underdog. The victory snapped a three-game winning streak by the Wildcats in the series, with Villanova winning the two previous games by 17 and 32 points to cover each time as the favorite.

The Golden Eagles’ seven-game winning streak was snapped with a loss to Providence on Sunday, but Marquette has covered in each of its last eight contests.

Marquette’s last five games have gone under the total. Justin Lewis is averaging 21.8 points in his last four games.

Providence Friars

Providence had defeated St. John’s nine times in a 10-game span, with only two of those contests decided by five points or less, before the Red Storm took three games in a row in the series.

No. 15 Providence (18-2, 8-1) will be looking to win for the fourth time in the last five games against Georgetown when the Friars head to Washington, D.C., for a Sunday matinee.

The Friars have won five games in a row but have only covered against the spread in two of them while four of the last six games have gone over the total.

Nate Watson leads the conference with a 56.7 field goal percentage.

St. John’s Red Storm

St. John’s topped Providence three straight times, averaging 84.3 points, before the Friars won by 10 on Jan. 8. The Red Storm are 4-1 against the spread in the last five matchups with Providence. Five of the last eight games went under the total.

St. John’s (11-8, 3-5) will play at Georgetown on Thursday. One of the only reminders of what this rivalry once was is on the sideline as Hoyas head coach is Georgetown legend Patrick Ewing. The Hoyas are the lone Big East team without a conference win while St. John’s is in eighth place in the Big East standings. St. John’s has won three of the last four meetings, including an 88-69 victory on Jan. 16.

St. John’s has dropped three of the last four matchups with Butler, but two of those losses have been by three points or less. The Red Storm will try to change that trend in Saturday’s showdown to wrapp up a three-game week.

The Red Storm have lost three of their last four games but have a chance to cover in three straight contests for the first time since the opening three contests of the season.

St. John’s leads the Big East in assists (18.6 per game), steals (9.9), turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio.

Seton Hall Pirates

Seton Hall had defeated Georgetown four times in a row and covered each time  before the Hoyas turned the tables in the two meetings in 2021. Three of the last four games between the Pirates and Hoyas have been decided by eight points or less.

Seton Hall (12-7, 3-6) has had its issues with Creighton in the last couple years, but the last eight wins by the Pirates against Creighton have come by 10 points or less. Seton Hall won the last two times when the matchup with the Bluejays was a one-possession final.

The Pirates have dropped four of their last five games and failed to cover in five of the last six. Each of Seton Hall’s last four contests has gone under the total.

Ike Obiagu is the Big East’s leading shot blocker (3.5 per game).

UConn Huskies

In the lone home game against Creighton, the visiting Bluejays emerged with the 76-74 overtime win on Dec. 20, 2020. It was the Huskies’ first game as a Big East team since conference realignment resulted in the Huskies playing in the American Athletic Conference from 2013-20.

The Huskies have won five games in a row, although Saturday’s win at DePaul was the first time in the last seven games that a UConn game finished under the total. UConn has been favored in each of those five contests during the winning streak, including three double-digit point spreads.

The Huskies are 9-1 at home. Adama Sanogo is averaging 16.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots over his last six contests.

Villanova Wildcats

This will be a challenging week for the Wildcats with a home game against UConn on Saturday playing at nationally ranked Marquette on Wednesday.

Five of the last seven matchups with Marquette have gone over the total. The Wildcats haven’t lost back-to-back games to Marquette since 2012.

Villanova is 9-1 in its last 10 games, although the Wildcats have failed to cover in three of the last four contests

Collin Gillespie is 13 of 20 from 3-point range in his last three games.

Xavier Musketeers

Xavier has won the last eight games against Butler decided by more than five points. The Musketeers are 8-3 against the spread in the last 11 meetings with Butler.

The 21st-ranked Musketeers (15-5, 5-4) will look to sweep the season series after escaping with a one-point road win on Jan. 19 as a nine-point favorite. Nine of the last 11 games in the series have gone under the total.

Xavier’s last four games have all finished under the total.

Jack Nunge is averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in his last two outings.