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2026 Big East Tournament Predictions and Expert Betting Picks

by Robert Ferringo - 3/11/2026

Big East Tournament predictions Zuby Ejiofor St. John's Red Storm

Be ready to fight.

That’s the general theme of the Big East tournament, which is routinely one of the most competitive and entertaining conference championships in the country.

It has been a disappointing, transitional year in the Big East. And unless we have a surprise champion (think Georgetown in 2021) then this venerable league may settle for just three teams in the NCAA tournament. That would tie 2024 for the fewest teams in the NCAA tournament from the Big East over the past 40 years.

But that’s next week. This week we will see another battle in Madison Square Garden, where the Big East tournament has taken place every year since 1983. That’s the longest-running conference championship to be held at one site in all of college basketball and it opens on Wednesday, March 11 with the winner crowned on Saturday, March 14.

Here is Doc’s Sports 2026 Big East Conference Tournament preview and predictions:

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The Favorite: Connecticut (-115)

Following a 92-60 win over Xavier on Feb. 3, Connecticut once again looked like one of the favorites to win the national championship. But some chinks have appeared in UConn’s armor over the last month, with the Huskies going 5-3 straight up and 2-6 against the spread in their past eight games. Connecticut did not win the Big East regular season crown, despite beating top seed St. John’s 72-40 on Feb. 25, and even closer-than-expected home wins over Georgetown and Seton Hall raised some eyebrows. Finally, Dan Hurley has only won one Big East tournament, with the Huskies losing in the semifinals four of the past five seasons.

The Contender: St. John’s (+185)

The Red Storm opened the season in the Top 10 and on the short list of teams competing for a national title. They bumbled their way to a 9-5 start and played themselves out of the Top 25 in early January. Since then, Rick Pitino’s team has stormed to a 16-1 close to the year and the top seed in this tourney. St. John’s likes to bully its opponents, with veteran forwards Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell pounding the ball in the paint. They struggle to shoot as a team, though, and only three teams this century have won back-to-back Big East championships.

The Sleeper: Villanova (+700)

Kevin Willard has been a revelation in his first year at Villanova, guiding the Wildcats back to the top tier of the Big East after three terrible seasons under Kyle Neptune. The Wildcats are 20-11 ATS this season and have been one of the biggest surprises in the country. Nova doesn’t do anything great on either end of the court. They just share the ball on offense and get their hands on a lot of balls on defense while fighting for the full 40 minutes. The Wildcats went 0-4 against both St. John’s and Connecticut in the regular season but will be a tough team to beat for a third time.

The Spoiler: Creighton (+5000)

It has been a long, frustrating year for Greg McDermott, who is on pace to suffer his first losing season since 2014-15. Creighton could still be a thorn in some people’s sides, though. They face Seton Hall in the quarterfinals, with the Pirates needing wins to cement their place in next week’s NCAA tournament. A Creighton upset there would have them square off with top-seeded St. John’s. Creighton has taken out Connecticut and Villanova this year, so they are capable of beating the top seeds.

Bubble Team To Watch: Seton Hall (+1500)

The Pirates are a nice story under former Seton Hall great Shaheen Holloway. The Pirates went just 7-25 last year after winning the NIT (as an NCAA snub) two seasons ago. They busted out for 20 regular season wins this winter and are trying to find their way into the NCAA field. Seton Hall played four excruciatingly close games with Connecticut and St. John’s (average loss: 5.3 points) but couldn’t get that marquee victory. If they can beat Creighton in the opener – a must if the Pirates have a prayer on Selection Sunday – then that may set up a win-and-in game against the Red Storm in the semifinals.

Early Round Matchup To Watch:

No. 8 Butler (+1.5) vs. No. 9 Providence (4 p.m., Wednesday, March 11)

Providence has been a massive underachiever this season. They have a chance to salvage something with a run in NYC this week. First, the Friars need to win a rubber match with Butler. These two played two classics in the regular season, with both games going to double overtime and each team getting a split. Butler guard Finley Bizjack is a fun watch. Providence is hoping that oft-injured Jason Edwards is healthy enough to provide a spark for a few games.

No. 7 Marquette (-4.5) vs. No. 10 Xavier (6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 11)

Marquette is riding high after an upset win over Connecticut last weekend on Senior Night. The Golden Eagles are another team headed for a rare losing season (just their third this century). But if they are good enough to beat the Huskies then they can play with anyone. Xavier has been a dud all season and is one of the worst defensive teams in the country. Maybe they can catch Marquette in a letdown spot. But their stay in New York will be brief.

No. 6 DePaul (-1.5) vs. No. 11 Georgetown (9 p.m., Wednesday, March 11)

Yes, these seeds are correct. Chris Holtmann led the Blue Demons to their most Big East wins since DePaul joined the conference 20 years ago. In fact, DePaul’s eight conference wins this year were one more than they managed in the last three years combined. Things have not gone well for Ed Cooley in his brief time in D.C. and Georgetown is just 1-7 in its last eight games. The Hoyas have been involved in a ton of close games this year but will have to play in this tournament without leading scorer K.J. Lewis. DePaul has won four of the last five meetings and the Blue Demons are 8-2 ATS in the last 10.

2026 Big East Conference Tournament Predictions: I can’t get the image of Connecticut just pummeling St. John’s in Storrs out of my mind. I don’t think that Connecticut is a real national title contender. But I do think that they are the best team in the Big East and I like them to get Hurley just his second Big East title.

Robert Ferringo is a member of the Basketball Writers Association of America and a professional sports handicapper for Doc's Sports. He is considered one of the best college basketball handicappers in the country and has posted 15 of 20 winning seasons. He is looking for a monster March run and you can sign up for his college basketball picks and get more information here.

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