Expect a low-scoring game when the DePaul Blue Demons (8-16) and St. John’s Red Storm (7-19) collide at Carnesecca Arena. Action starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and can be seen on CCS.
The Red Storm are hoping to rebound after their 73-63 loss to Villanova on Saturday. Amar Alibegovic was the team’s high scorer with 18 points. The Blue Demons, meanwhile, are coming off a deflating 86-59 loss to that same Villanova squad on Tuesday. Eli Cain had a good shooting night, leading the team with 15 points.
The Red Storm come into this game 7-19 Straight Up (SU) and 10-16 Against The Spread (ATS). An area where the Red Storm are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.9 blocks per game, sixth in Division I.
Across the court, the Blue Demons have 8-16 SU and 8-14-1 ATS records. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Blue Demons on the defensive end. They allowed 82.1 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 74.0.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference rivals. Their previous game was a Red Storm victory, bringing their SU record to 8-2 over DePaul in the most recent games. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Neither St. John’s nor DePaul has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – StJn, ATS Winner – StJn
Notes
St. John’s scores just 65.2 points per home game (ranked 243rd). DePaul ranks 95th in points allowed on the road, giving up 72.4 points.
St. John’s averages 72.2 possessions per game, scoring .922 points on each possession. While DePaul averages fewer possessions per game with 68.0, they score more points per possession with 1.003.
St. John’s has an average effective field goal percentage of 45.2%. DePaul is an underachieving 4-14 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
St. John’s, the sixth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.9 per game. DePaul ranks lower at 200th with 3.2.
St. John’s has forced an average turnover percentage of 20.3% this season. DePaul has a subpar 4-12 record when its TO% is 20.3% or higher.
