NCAA Basketball Betting – Mountaineers come out of wild Big East
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The Big East were the sportsbook darlings of last year, sending seven teams to the NCAA Tournament, including three No.1 seeds. It should be another crazy year in the Big East, and even though a number of stars have left, there’s still an abundance of talent, and arguably the best group of coaches in the country.
Here’s how it’ll all break down.
Villanova Wildcats
Odds To Win The Big East: +285
The Wildcats went all the way to the Final Four before falling to eventual champion North Carolina, and they got a big boost when guard Scottie Reynolds chose to come back for his senior year. Reynolds is a scoring point guard who can get hot in a hurry, while Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes are also guards that can fill the hoop. The Wildcats, ranked fifth in the preseason polls, will have to replace Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson, but there’s young talent at the forward position. Expect the Wildcats to run when making a sports bet online.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Odds To Win The Big East: +350
The Mountaineers will be hungry after getting eliminated by Dayton in the first round of the Tournament, and they’re ranked eighth in the preseason polls. The forward duo of Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks can compete with anyone in the country, and Darryl “Truck” Bryant will have a lot to prove after an offseason suspension. The x-factor could be Casey Mitchell, a two guard recruited by coach Bob Huggins when Huggins was at Cincinnati. Mitchell went to junior college before joining Huggins, and the Moutaineers could be one of the sleeper sports picks come March.
Connecticut Huskies
Odds To Win The Big East: +350
You don’t just lose guys like A.J. Price, Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien and expect life to go on….do you? At UConn, it doesn’t matter. The Huskies are ranked 12th in the preseason polls, and Kemba Walker is expected to take over for Price after a brilliant freshman year. Stanley Robinson correctly chose to come back to school and should be an impact player. The main questions will be up front, where Thabeet and Adrien ruled. Gavin Edwards and Ater Majok will be expected to step up.NCAA football picks.
Louisville Cardinals
Odds To Win The Big East: +350
Coach Rick Pitino is as happy as anyone to get the season going after a hectic offseason filled with extortion plots, but his Cardinals are still 19th in the polls. Replacing Earl Clark and Terrance Williams won’t be easy, but Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings have the ability to do that. The key will be in the backcourt, and everyone is still waiting for Edgar Sosa to become the star that he looked to be as a freshman. Now a senior, Pitino will lean on the point guard, and he has to prove he can be consistent. If you’re looking to bet sports, don’t count out the Cardinals…ever.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Odds To Win The Big East: +500
The Fighting Irish may have had the coup of the offseason when Luke Harangody decided to go the Tyler Hansbrough route and come back for his senior year. The big forward is now a preseason All-American, and a return of 22 points and 10 boards is a minimum expectation. The Irish will have to replace sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney, but speaking of Hansbrough, his younger brother Ben transferred over from Mississippi State to give the Irish a shooter to open up the floor for Harangody. Scott Martin, a Purdue transfer, hurt his knee and will miss the season, so point guard Tory Martin may be asked to score more.
2009 Big East Pick
You know it’s deep when Georgetown, rated at +800, doesn’t even get a mention. These are the five that will battle it out in the Big East, and UConn and Louisville have a lot to replace, so they may be a year away, despite their coaches. Notre Dame has to prove it can hit the outside shot to give Harangody some room, so we’re reserving judgment on them. That leaves West Virginia and Villanova, and the Wildcats don’t have the depth and balance that the Moutaineers do.
Take West Virginia in your online betting picks this year.
One reply on “2009 Big East Basketball Preview”
I like Louisville, I think this team still has a lot to prove. Also, never count out UConn.