College Basketball Betting

Big East Teams Have been A Good Bet

One of the big topics of conversation in college basketball this season has been the unprecedented level of talent in the Big East.

Because there is so much talent, the general feeling is that there could be a record number of Big East teams invited to the NCAA tournament this year. Although won-loss records can look impressive to members of the NCAA selection committee, they can be deceiving, especially for hoops bettors.

For instance, in an interview on ESPN on Tuesday, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim pointed to No. 9 Pittsburgh as a possible tournament dark horse. The Panthers do have a nice record to be sure at 20-4 straight up (SU). Yet, most of those wins have come at home, where they are undefeated at 14-0. On the road the Panthers are just 5-4 SU.

That does not necessarily bode well for Pitt fans looking towards the conference playoffs and the tournament, but for bettors it's a different story. The Panthers are a solid road bet at 6-3 against the spread (ATS).

Another team seen by some as a dark horse is Marquette. The Golden Eagles are 18-8 overall and have a hard-fought conference record of 8-5. But like the Panthers, most of Marquette's wins have come in front of hometown fans where the Eagles are 13-2 SU.

Home has also been kind to those placing bets on Marquette. The Eagles are golden at home going 8-2 ATS. On the road, however, Marquette has struggled going 2-6 SU and 4-4 ATS. Regardless, the Eagles are 3-0 SU in neutral site games, which is a positive sign for the team's tournament aspirations.

No. 3 UConn is one of the favorites to win the tournament. The Huskies have a stellar record of 24-2 SU overall and 11-2 versus conference foes. Both of there losses came away from home - one on the road and one at a neutral site game. Overall, the Huskies are 7-1 away from home and 3-1 on neutral sites.

While they're one of the best teams in college basketball regardless of whether they're on the road or at home, the Huskies have been a much better road bet.

Those placing wagers on the Huskies when they're on the road have fattened their bankroll in seven out of eight games. At home, UConn is just 4-5 ATS.