It will be a battle between Big East opponents when the DePaul Blue Demons (13-9, 1-8 Big East) welcome the Xavier Musketeers (14-8, 3-6 Big East) to Wintrust Arena. The game is scheduled to get underway at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
Xavier Musketeers vs. DePaul Blue Demons ATS Prediction
In the Musketeers’ last outing, they defeated the No. 10 Seton Hall Pirates, 74-62. Xavier out-rebounded Seton Hall. The Musketeers had more offensive rebounds (14 vs. five), defensive rebounds (37 vs. 17) and total rebounds (51 vs. 22). Tyrique Jones fueled Xavier with 19 points and 18 rebounds.
The Blue Demons lost to the Marquette Golden Eagles in their last matchup, 76-72. Marquette was successful at getting to and converting from the free throw line. The Golden Eagles made 29 of their 35 free throws (82.9 percent), while the Blue Demons were just 12-23 (52.2 percent). DePaul’s Charlie Moore had a good performance, leading the team in scoring with 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
After splitting two games last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the last game, the Blue Demons won 74-62. The Blue Demons had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (36.8 vs. 23.5) and had a much better turnover percentage (14.6 vs. 20.8).
The offense of DePaul (195th in the country with an offensive efficiency of 101.8) will battle against the stingy defense of Xavier (94th in the country with a defensive efficiency of 95.7). The Musketeers figure to have the edge on that end of the court. Additionally, the Musketeers rank 57th in offensive rebounding percentage (32.6 percent), while the Blue Demons rank 256th in defensive rebounding percentage (70.6 percent).
Xavier at DePaul Betting Pick
Prediction: ATS Winner – DePaul, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Xavier averages 39.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 29th in the nation. DePaul ranks 200th in rebounds allowed per game (36.6).
The Blue Demons rank 24th in steals per game (8.6) while the Musketeers rank 167th (5.9).
Xavier ranks 138th in three pointers allowed per game (21.5) while DePaul ranks 237th (24.3).
The Blue Demons average 5.4 blocks per game, which ranks 15th in the country. The Musketeers rank 98th in blocks allowed per game (3.2).
Xavier averages 14.4 assists per game, which ranks 75th in the NCAA. DePaul ranks 138th in assists allowed per game (12.8).
The Musketeers have been outscored by an average of 2.4 points in their last five games. For the season, Xavier has defeated opponents by an average of 4.2 points.
During their last five games, the Blue Demons have scored an average of 68.4 points per game (5.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.6 points per game (4.8 above their season average).
