Xavier Emerging as Serious Big East Contender

The Big East has been dominated in recent seasons by the No. 23 Villanova Wildcats. In fact, the Wildcats have won the Big East three seasons in a row and seven of the last eight years.

So, it is no surprise that Villanova opened the season as the odds on favorite to retain their Big East crown this season. 

However, there is some new competition nipping at their heels in the form of the No. 18 Xavier Muskateers. Xavier is off to a very good start to the season and currently sits in fourth place in the Big East with an 11-2 record.

Before we dive any deeper into Xavier’s chances to win the division, let’s review the current odds to win the 2021-22 Big East regular-season championship at WynnBET Sportsbook: 

Latest Odds to Win the Big East Conference

• Villanova | +110
• Xavier | +375
• Connecticut | +800
• Providence | +1000
• St. John's | +1500
• Creighton | +2500
• DePaul | +5000
• Marquette | +5000
• Butler | +10000
• Georgetown | +20000

According to the odds, the Big East is a two-team race right now between the Wildcats and Musketeers. Villanova took a major step in the right direction with a win over Xavier on Tuesday night 71-58. It was a sobering loss for the Musketeers who were almost neck and neck with the Wildcats in terms of betting favorites before the loss.

It was a big bounce-back win for the Wildcats who dropped 14 spots in the AP top-25 after losing to Creighton in their Big East opener and a 57-36 loss to Baylor. Xavier had an eight-point lead heading into the half but the Wildcats second-half defense was impeccable and turned the game around quickly. 

So, what does this mean for Xavier’s chances to win the division? Well, aside from a possible tiebreaker not too much. One positive to come out of this loss is that Xavier is now a much better value to take the crown from Nova.

It is clear who the better team is right now but there is still a ton of basketball yet to be played in the Big East.