Big East Conference Tournament Preview: Prediction, Bracket, Odds, Standings and Schedule

Big East games always feel a little bit bigger this time of year as all the squads assemble upon the mecca of basketball in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Providence took home the regular season title, finishing at 14-3 in conference play, 24-4 overall, and ending with the No. 9 overall AP ranking. However, the oddsmakers don't even have the Friars in the top two teams to cut down the nets on Saturday.

Here's how the oddsmakers at WynnBET Sportsbook are breaking down the field:

Big East Conference Tournament Odds

• Villanova: +150
• UConn: +480
• Providence: +600
• Marquette: +600
• Seton Hall: +925
• Creighton: +1800
• Xavier: +2000
• DePaul: +7500
• Butler: +30000
• Georgetown: +50000

Big East Conference Tournament Bracket and Standings

The first round of action begins today with an 8-9 matchup between Xavier and Butler. The Musketeers have lost five of their last six down the stretch, but beat up Georgetown in their regular season finale on Sunday.

They'll be followed by the 7-10 game as St. John's and Julian Champagne take on Javon Freeman-Liberty and DePaul, followed by No. 6 Seton Hall and No. 11 Georgetown to close the night.

Big East Conference Tournament Schedule (Dates, Times, Channel)

First round action tips off today beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Thursday games begin at noon and 2:30 p.m, with the late window coming at 7 and 9:30 p.m. ET.

Friday's semifinals tip at 6:30 p.m ET, and the championship game also tips Saturday at the same time. All games will be featured on FS1, with the championship broadcast on FOX.

Big East Conference Tournament Prediction and Pick

The move on Marquette from +900 down to +600 at the start of the tournament is certainly eye-opening. Both Peter Dewey and Reed Wallach have been advocates of the Golden Eagles for their ability to get quality shots (No. 1 in effective field goal percentage and two-point percentage in conference), while also remaining an excellent havoc defense team that defends the 3-point line better than anyone in the Big East.

I'm not prepared to go lower than 6/1, but that's a sizable move for a team that has been rather inconsistent this season. I'll roll the dice and go with Shaka Smart's squad to cut down the nets.

LEAN: Marquette +600

Big East Conference Tournament Dark Horse

The Seton Hall Pirates don't seem to be getting the respect they probably deserve in this tournament as a 6-seed. Their first round game is against Georgetown who went 0-19 in conference play, so they can breeze to their second round game vs. No. 3 UConn who split the series against them this year.

It could be tough sledding facing Villanova in the semifinals, but the Pirates played them tough in both games, losing 73-67 each time. They're being overlooked, and while I don't expect them to win, I think their odds are ripe with value.

LEAN: Seton Hall +925

Follow all of Ben Heisler's betting plays in real-time HERE.