March Madness if here, and major Conference Tournaments get underway this week, with Selection Sunday on the horizon. Make sure you’re keeping your eyes on the DraftKings Sportsbook betting splits when doing your research, available for free on DK Network.
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Big East Conference Tournament Winner
At some point, UConn’s magical run was going to come to an end, and it clearly took a step back this season. Dan Hurley still has plenty of talent on the roster, but the dominance of the last two seasons is over. The 12-0 NCAA Tournament run that the Huskies are on will come to an end at some point this March. This isn’t a national contender.
That said, the down regular season provides a sense of urgency heading into the Big East Tournament. This isn’t a team I thought I’d be putting much faith in in March. The time will come to fade the Huskies, but the draw in this tournament came up somewhat favorable for them, particularly at their home away from home in Madison Square Garden.
UConn is 1-1 at MSG this season, taking down Gonzaga, and then losing in conference play to top-seeded Saint John’s. Fortunately for the Huskies, the Red Storm are on the other side of the bracket, and wouldn’t come into play until a potential championship game matchup. To reach the title game, UConn would need to go through the winner of Villanova vs. Seton Hall and then likely Creighton — which the Huskies went on the road and defeated in Omaha earlier in the season. At 4-1, and with a home court advantage, I think that’s a draw worth betting. Again, Hurley and his team need it this year more than ever, and I think we’ll see this squad at it’s best in this tournament.
I have some questions about what we’ll see from Saint John’s. On one hand, Rick Pitino’s team has been spot-proof this season, grinding out wins in a lot of impressive ways. If the Johnnies are at their best, we can always buy off the play in the championship game and back the Red Storm. But SJU could also use some rest before the big dance, so if they tap out early on the other side of the bracket, UConn could wind up being a favorite in Saturday night’s title game.
I’ll play UConn now and leave it unhedged until Saturday. If the Huskies go down, we lose a half-unit. But if they make it to Saturday, and hedge will be possible, or we can simply ride UConn if Saint John’s is upset. UConn was the preseason favorite in the conference, and has the talent to win three games in three days in front of a crowd that’ll have its back.
Big East Pick: UCONN (+400) – Risk 0.5-units to win 2-units
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment.
