It will be a battle between Big East opponents when the DePaul Blue Demons (9-20) welcome the Seton Hall Pirates (21-8) to Allstate Arena. The game gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 5 and can be seen on FSN.
The Blue Demons are hoping for a better outcome after their 83-62 loss to Villanova on Tuesday. Myke Henry had a solid performance for DePaul, recording 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. The Pirates are coming off an 85-78 loss against Butler on Wednesday. Isaiah Whitehead had a game-high 27 points.
Desi Rodriguez and Whitehead have been hot over the last five games for the Pirates. Rodriguez has averaged 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers during that stretch, while Whitehead has put up 21.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 3.0 blocks, and 3.2 three-pointers.
The Blue Demons might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the nation’s best defenses. The Pirates rank 20th in defensive efficiency, while DePaul ranks 283rd in offensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Pirates winning the first matchup 78-74. Despite the loss, Billy Garrett Jr. had a standout performance with 20 points, four rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and three three-pointers.
The Blue Demons enter the game with records of 9-20 Straight Up (SU) and 10-17-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3). The Blue Demons have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 74.9 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 68.0 points per game. The DePaul defense has been shutting down opposing offenses over the past 10 games, only allowing an average of 67.2 points per game, well under their season average of 75.0.
As for their opponent, the Pirates have records of 19-9 ATS and 21-8 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 65.6 PPG, below their 74.2 PPG season average. The Pirates have controlled the glass with an average of 40.1 rebounds per game, 28th in the country. The Seton Hall defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 37th in Division I with only 68.4 points allowed per road game. The Pirates have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .401. The Pirates are in for a physical game against DePaul. The Blue Demons are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.4 fouls per game.
Seton Hall won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. On the other hand, DePaul leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. DePaul held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five games, while Seton Hall wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – SetonH, ATS Winner – SetonH
Notes
“DePaul is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“DePaul is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 8 of DePaul’s last 9 games “.
“DePaul is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“DePaul is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of DePaul’s last 6 games at home”.
“DePaul is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Seton Hall”.
“DePaul is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Seton Hall”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of DePaul’s last 7 games when playing Seton Hall”.
Seton Hall holds an 11-6 SU record against the Big East Conference this season, while DePaul has a subpar 3-14 SU record against the conference.
DePaul scores just 70.9 points per home game (ranked 215th). Seton Hall ranks 37th in points allowed on the road, giving up 68.4 points.
In its last game, DePaul lost by a margin of 21 points. Seton Hall is 5-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. DePaul has a 3-8 record in blowouts.
Seton Hall beats DePaul in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Pirates average 70.2 possessions and 1.057 points per possession, while the Blue Demons average 68.1 possessions with .999 points per possession.
The DePaul Blue Demons average an effective field goal percentage of 49.8% this season. The Seton Hall Pirates have a poor record of 4-7 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.8% or greater.
The DePaul Blue Demons average 16.0 three point attempts per game and are 2-3 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Seton Hall Pirates average 17.0 attempts and have a tremendous record (5-1) when attempting 20 or more.
Seton Hall, the 28th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.1 rebounds per game. DePaul does worse, ranked 272nd with 34.3.
The Seton Hall Pirates rank 26th in offensive rebounds. The DePaul Blue Demons rank 260th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, DePaul forces a turnover rate of 17.8%. When Seton Hall turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 15-4 record.
