DePaul vs Marquette Odds
| DePaul Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+15.5 -115 | 152.5 -105o / -115u | +900 |
| Marquette Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-15.5 -105 | 152.5 -105o / -115u | -1600 |
The Marquette Golden Eagles will take on the DePaul Blue Demons in this Saturday evening Big East clash.
What I find quite fascinating heading into this matchup is the lack of respect the Golden Eagles continue to receive from the entire country. Not only do they find themselves atop the Big East standings, but they are coming off an impressive road victory at Creighton. When will Shaka Smart's squad begin to get national recognition?
As for the Blue Demons, it's been another disappointing season in Chicago. Nine straight losses doesn't even tell the full story and if it weren't for Georgetown, DePaul would be at the bottom of the Big East standings. It's been tough sledding as a fan and backer of this team as they are 2-8 ATS in their past 10 games.
This is clearly a lopsided matchup, but that doesn't mean we can't dig up some betting value.
DePaul Blue Demons
I don't want to write a few paragraphs about how terrible this DePaul team is, so I'll start off highlighting some of the bright spots. Yes, a 9-22 team can have some positives, so let's not get blinded by the record.
First off, guard Umoja Gibson and forward Javan Johnson have been spectacular from behind the arc. Both of them are shooting over 40% for the season and are a big reason why the Blue Demons rank inside the top 80 in 3-point percentage. If DePaul wants to have any chance at winning this game, this duo will have to continue its offensive explosiveness.
The Blue Demons also shoot free throws decently well, ranking 88th in the country.
Now, let's get to the rest of the DePaul statistics because they're … something. The Blue Demons rank outside the top 250 in rim and 3 rate. They also rank in the bottom 300's in rebound rate, which allows opponents second-chance points at a frequent rate.
Bad teams usually don't protect the basketball and that is the case for the Blue Demons. They rank 208th in turnovers per game, which is something to monitor in this particular matchup. Marquette is excellent at forcing opponents into turnovers and ranks 16th in the country in that category. If DePaul continues to play hot potato with the basketball, there is a great chance it'll get blown out.
Marquette Golden Eagles
It's gotten to the point where Smart's squad will have to win the Big East Tournament in order to start getting respect from the rest of the country. As someone who was down on Marquette, a -7.94 record luck does suggest it has been a bit fortunate. However, that may not be a factor moving forward.
The Golden Eagles offense is a big reason why they have such an impressive home record (14-1). They rank third in offensive efficiency and 18th in 3 and Rim Rate. This suggests they're putting up a lot of quality shots, and that those shots are going through the hoop. Marquette also protects the basketball very well, which is on par for a Smart-coached team.
The backcourt, led by Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek, has been outstanding from beyond the arc. In fact, this is the type of duo we usually see from a team that runs deep in March.
The Golden Eagles have also executed on the defensive end of the floor, where they find themselves inside the top 65 in defensive efficiency. We already spoke about how excellent they are at forcing turnovers, but the one area of improvement they can work on is their rebound rate. Marquette ranks 222nd in the country in this department, so this is something we should monitor moving forward.
I don't believe we should have any areas of concern with Marquette in this matchup as it beat this same DePaul team 89-69 in January.
DePaul vs Marquette Betting Pick
I was leaning toward backing Marquette at home, but I think the better angle is taking the over. I did talk about the Blue Demons' ability to get hot from beyond the arc and think they'll put up some points — even if they get blown out.
Marquette's excellent turnover-forcing ability can also correlate to quick points, which makes me like this over even more. Instead of sweating a late backdoor from DePaul, let's kick back and relax as we watch the points pour in.
Pick: Over 151.5 (Play to 154) |
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