Big East Tournament – Who Should Be Your Tuesday Hoops Betting Picks

One of sport’s greatest events, the Big East Tournament, will be tipping off Tuesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, with four exciting Hoops Betting matchups. Two of the most important come in the early afternoon, when UConn plays DePaul and Rutgers and Seton Hall get together.

DePaul Blue Demons (7-23 SU, 14-14-1 ATS) vs. No. 19 UConn Huskies (21-9 SU, 13-11 ATS)

Tuesday, March 8: 12:00 p.m., Live from Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Betting Odds:

DePaul: +14 ½

UConn: -14 ½

The first game in the Hoops Betting tipoff will feature a UConn team which is struggling entering this week at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies have lost four of their last five, and six of 10 heading to New York.

Just don’t blame guard Kemba Walker. The junior All-Big East first-teamer has been spectacular of late, even as his teammates around him have struggled in UConn’s Hoops Betting losses. Walker has scored at least 20 points in four his last five games, including a 34 point outburst in Saturday’s loss to Notre Dame. The problem of course, is that as good as Walker was, his teammates didn’t bring the same energy. Not one other UConn player scored in double figures.

Ultimately though, it won’t matter against a DePaul team that was far and away the Big East’s worst this year. DePaul finished the conference slate with just one win, which is their only victory since before Christmas. To add insult to injury, leading scorer Cleveland Melvin is out for the year with an injury.

Walker and the Huskies may be struggling of late, but they’ll do plenty enough to get the Hoops Betting victory here. Make them your wager today!

Hoops Betting Pick: UConn -14 ½

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-16 SU, 12-12-2 ATS) vs. Seton Hall Pirates (13-17 SU, 14-14 ATS)

Tuesday, March 8: 2:00 p.m. ESPN, Live from Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Betting Odds:

Rutgers: +4

Seton Hall: -4

In the second game of the afternoon Hoops Betting double-header, we’ll get a rubber match between two New Jersey schools which each beat the other once this year. Who do you like, Rutgers or Seton Hall?

Based strictly on win-loss record, the edge goes to Rutgers, and it’s because of their defense. The Scarlet Knights are one of the most underrated units in the country, allowing opponents to shoot just 40.5 percent from the field. Offensively, Jonathan Mitchell is the only double figure scorer (14 points per game) for a group that averages just 66 points a game.
Still, when it comes to a one and done situation like we’ll have in this Hoops Betting matchup, take the more talented team, which in this case is Seton Hall. Yes this group has wildly underperformed in coach Kevin Willard’s first year, but they’ll still have the two best players on the court with senior Jeremy Hazell and junior Herb Pope. Hazell led this team with 19 points per game, with Pope one of the conference’s top rebounders at over eight per.

All things considered, Rutgers overachieved in coach Mike Rice’s first year. But like so many others, there season will end in a conference tournament Tuesday. Seton Hall is the Hoops Betting pick to make.

Hoops Betting Pick: Seton Hall -4