Posted on 3/3/2008 8:00:01 PM

NCAA March Madness - WILL ANYBODY PUT THE BIG IN THE BIG EAST

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA Basketball March Madness Odds:

CONFERENCE TO WIN 2007-08 NCAA HOOPS CHAMPIONSHIP

ACC Conference +200

Big East Conference +700

Big 10 Conference +800

Big 12 Conference +300

CUSA Conference +450

Mountain West Conference +7000

Pacific 10 Conference +250

SEC Conference +700

Field +1200

It's time to take a look at the Big East Conference, which recently expanded to take in more strong programs, which obviously gives it more of a chance to produce a champion than in recent seasons. Does it give us VALUE, or is there NO VALUE in betting on a Big East member?

BetUS NCAAB betting odds to win NCAA Championship: BIG EAST +700 (7/1)

Looking at some of the top contenders:

GEORGETOWN -- To win this thing, you need to play some defense. And that is what Georgetown does. The Hoyas have the capacity to suffocate the opponent, limiting foes to less than 37% from the field. I'm not the biggest fan of Roy Hibbert; I see him as a little more like Othella Harrington than Patrick Ewing. But he may be good enough. The Hoyas' leading scorer (13.4 ppg), he's also a 60% shooter who blocks 2.3 shots a game. All five starters are averaging at least nine points a game. And speaking of Ewing, his son comes off the bench to give quality minutes. Beyond that, there is not a lot of depth, and quickness in the backcourt can be a problem. I can see giving Georgetown an outside chance of winning it.

LOUISVILLE -- This is the team everybody is jumping on right now. the Cardinals got a big boost when some of their big people came back. And David Padgett (12 points, 4.7 rebounds in 22 minutes a game) is a guy who can really get in there and bang. Juan Palacios, another guy who lays about half the time, adds a lot of support on the boards. Terrence Williams has been a catalyst who has contributed in just about any way possible. Rick Pitino knows his way around this tournament, as he's taken three different teams (Providence, Kentucky, Louisville) to the Final Four. His team puts pressure on opposing offenses, and can get a lot of easy baskets in the transition game.

MARQUETTE -- There is a lot of balance on this team; in fact, the top three scorers average between 13.4 and 13.6 points a game. Dominic James is a dynamic floor leader. Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward are difference-making players. Ousmanne Barro doesn't score much, but he can rebound and intimidate down low. Marquette is one of those teams that can get on a run and make some noise. Can they win the title? Doubtful.

CONNECTICUT -- Jim Calhoun, of course, has won a couple of these titles before, and this season he had a team that started slow and then ran off a number of big wins, beating the likes of Marquette, Louisville, Pitt, Notre Dame, Indiana and Syracuse in a ten-game winning streak. Five starters average double-digits; Jeff Adrien (14.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) is very effective on the inside, and center Hasheem Thabeet, who blocks more than four shots per game, is the type of defensive presence who can make other teams change their offensive approach. This team has a chance to get on a roll.

NOTRE DAME -- The Irish have had their problems going on the road. But they have a genuine inside-outside game going - an experienced backcourt led by Kyle McAlarney and Troy Jackson, and a guy on the inside on Luke Harangody (21 ppg, 10.6 rpg) who could be the conference player of the year.

PITTSBURGH -- The Panthers haven't really been at full strength all year, as Mike Cook was lost very early in the season. DeJuan Blair has been a nice freshman find, as he's averaged almost ten rebounds. And Sam Young (51% FG's, 18 ppg, 6.5 rpg) stepped up when Cook and guard Levance Fields went down and probably deserves some All-America consideration. Fields is back, and he's always been a guy who comes through in the clutch.

Louisville may be the only stickout team here, but the way they're playing, they take a lot of momentum into the tourney. The other teams mentioned are sound defensively and perfectly capable off pulling off a surprise. We wouldn't mind throwing down at 7/1 in the BetUS NCAA March Madness betting odds.

JAY'S VERDICT: VALUE

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)