The Big East-Big 12 Battle begins on Thursday, November 30 and runs into the following week, giving college basketball fans everywhere something to look forward to.
Historically these two conferences have always been full of contenders at the national level, but this year, they're going head-to-head for the title of the best conference in college basketball.
We have 11 games in total for this event, so each conference will race to be the first to win six to secure the victory in the Big East-Big 12 Battle.
Get your popcorn ready, as there will be plenty of incredible games to choose from. Here are Big East-Big 12 Battle odds and picks.
Note: Betting lines are unavailable at the time of writing, so each game preview will include my pick to win, along with a pick against the current KenPom game score projection.
We could be in line for a defensive battle when Texas Tech travels to Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on Butler.
Texas Tech ranks 13th in the country in Defensive Efficiency, while Butler isn’t too shabby itself at 60th.
Points may be hard to come by, as Butler is very good at taking away the 3-point line (holding opponents to just 26% shooting from deep), and the Red Raiders only make 27% of their shots from outside.
Still though, it's hard to see the Butler guards finding success against Texas Tech’s perimeter defense.
Pick to Win: Texas Tech
Pick Against KenPom Projection: Texas Tech +2
Creighton looks for a bounce back after suffering a surprising 21-point loss to Colorado State.
The Bluejays are still an explosive offense, ranking 20th in the country on that side of the ball with a 28th-ranked 3-point percentage and an eighth-ranked 2-point percentage.
It's simply hard to keep Creighton from scoring, and it’s a tall task for an Oklahoma State defense that isn’t particularly intimidating.
The Cowboys already have three losses to teams outside the KenPom top 100.
I like Creighton to get back on track here.
Pick to Win: Creighton
Pick Against KenPom Projection: Creighton -6
Speaking of bounce-back spots, Xavier will look to rebound after its home loss to Oakland. It will be difficult against the top-ranked team in the entire sport, according to KenPom.
Houston ranks inside the top 10 on both ends, but the Cougars maintain a dominant defense by any metric you can find.
It'll be hard for the Musketeers’ front line to keep Houston off of the offensive boards, and if the Cougars generate second chances like they usually do, this one could get ugly.
Pick to Win: Houston
Pick Against KenPom Projection: Houston -7
When these two teams meet, it should be a hotly-contested battle, as both teams could use a win here.
St. John’s enters this game with a 4-2 record (losses to Michigan and Dayton). Meanwhile, West Virginia has yet to beat a top-100 team, entering with a 3-3 record, including defeats to SMU, Virginia and Monmouth.
St. John’s is the more talented team, and its ability to shoot from outside could be the difference. The Johnnies shoot 38% from deep, while West Virginia only shoots 29%.
Pick to Win: St. John’s
Pick Against KenPom Projection: St. John’s -1
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DePaul is in free fall, beginning the season with five losses in its first six games. The Blue Demons' only win came at home against South Dakota, which is 286th on KenPom.
Iowa State is also struggling, blowing a 21-point lead in its last game before losing to an undermanned Texas A&M squad.
I’m not sure how DePaul will score in this one, as Iowa State ranks sixth in the country in Defensive Efficiency, while DePaul is miserable on the offensive end.
This feels like a get-right game for the Cyclones.
Pick to Win: Iowa State
Pick Against KenPom Projection: Iowa State -11
This has game-of-the-year potential! The defending national champion Huskies head to Kansas to face Bill Self, Hunter Dickinson and the Jayhawks.
This will be the first true test for Donovan Clingan, who's been beating up on overmatched bigs all month.
UConn is elite on both ends, ranking in the top 10 in both Offensive and Defensive Efficiency.
Kansas has been a great shooting team from outside to start the year, but that may not last forever.
UConn has more depth, the better offense and Clingan will be up for the challenge against Dickinson
Pick to Win: UConn
Pick Against KenPom Projection: UConn +2
TCU travels to Georgetown with an undefeated record, but the Horned Frogs haven’t played anyone with a pulse yet.
The question is: does Georgetown have a pulse? The only top-200 team the Hoyas have faced was Rutgers, which it lost to by 11 points.
The Hoyas also lost at home to Holy Cross (342nd on KenPom).
The Horned Frogs’ offense should find success in this one, as Georgetown has fallen all the way to 293rd in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, while TCU ranks 54th on the offensive end.
Pick to Win: TCU
Pick Against KenPom Projection: TCU -9
The Battle 4 Atlantis champions — the Villanova Wildcats — head to Kansas State to face Jerome Tang’s reloaded Wildcats squad.
Nova looked great during Feast Week, but it's shown signs of vulnerability already, losing its only true road game of the season to Penn.
Kansas State is still seeking its first marquee win, and it'll have a great chance to get it here if Arthur Kaluma and Tylor Perry can win their individual matchups.
Pick to Win: Kansas State
Pick Against KenPom Projection: Kansas State +2
Oklahoma has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the young season thus far. The Sooners are undefeated, with impressive wins over Iowa and USC.
Oklahoma is a balanced team and can win games in a variety of styles. The Sooners don’t have many weaknesses, but they also aren’t elite in any categories.
Providence has shown its capable of playing at a high level when it blew out Wisconsin. The Friars’ only loss this season came in overtime to Kansas State.
Oklahoma should win, but Providence will have a great chance to cover.
Pick to Win: Oklahoma
Pick Against KenPom Projection: Providence +7
Baylor is showing a lot of signs of the usual Scott Drew Baylor teams that dominate games on the offensive end.
This poses a difficult test for a Seton Hall program that lost back-to-back games during Feast Week against the two quality offenses it faced, giving up 71 points to USC and 85 points to Iowa.
Baylor has even more firepower than both of those teams, and the Bears will look to push tempo and run up the score in this one.
Pick to Win: Baylor
Pick Against KenPom Projection: Baylor -12
The final game of this event features the Texas Longhorns and the Marquette Golden Eagles. Shaka Smart will seek revenge against his previous employer.
Marquette has already faced the best of the best, making it to the Maui Invitational final before falling to Purdue in a highly competitive game.
Texas can’t say the same, as it struggled in a comfortable loss to UConn one day after needing a Max Abmas buzzer beater to get past a lowly Louisville team.
Texas will get up for this game, and if it finally plays to its ceiling, it has the talent to keep it close.
But Marquette is just too good on both ends to lose this game.
