It will be a battle between Big East opponents when the Marquette Golden Eagles (12-6, 3-3 Big East) welcome the DePaul Blue Demons (8-9, 1-4 Big East) to BMO Harris Bradley Center. The game is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, January 15, 2018.
Marquette opened as a 10.5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 159 points.
DePaul Blue Demons at Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Prediction
The Blue Demons are hoping for a better outcome after their 71-64 loss to the Providence Friars in their last outing. Getting to the free throw line was one of Providence’s biggest advantages. They made 27 trips to the line, while DePaul went just 11 times. Marin Maric was DePaul’s leading scorer with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
The last time the Golden Eagles played, they fell to the Butler Bulldogs, 94-83. Butler’s 4.1 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over Marquette, who had a rate of 13.1. The Bulldogs’ mark was better than their season average of 14.3. Marquette’s Sam Hauser put together a solid performance, leading the team in scoring with 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
The high-octane offense of Marquette will go head-to-head against the mid-tier defense of DePaul. The Golden Eagles currently rank 15th in offensive efficiency, while the Blue Demons are 174th in defensive efficiency. The Golden Eagles should have the advantage on that side of the ball.
DePaul holds records of 8-9 straight up (SU) and 9-8 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when setting the O/U total of Blue Demons games, with 8 overs compared to 7 unders.
Meanwhile, Marquette is 12-6 SU and 8-8-1 ATS. Golden Eagles games tend to finish over the total (56.3 percent).
Max Strus has averaged 23.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists over the last five games for DePaul.
After the Golden Eagles won both contests against the Blue Demons last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the most recent matchup, Marquette won 92-79. Marquette did a great job of converting from the charity stripe (18-21; 85.7 percent). DePaul, meanwhile, had a much better turnover percentage (9.3 vs. 15.2).
DePaul Blue Demons vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Marquette, ATS Winner – DePaul, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, DePaul is 5-2 ATS with 4 overs and 3 unders.
At home, Marquette is 3-6-1 ATS with 6 unders and 3 overs.
Marquette averages 28.7 three pointers per game, which ranks 13th in the nation. DePaul ranks 237th in three pointers allowed per game (25.2).
The Blue Demons rank 64th in rebounds per game (38.2) while the Golden Eagles rank 242nd (32.3).
Marquette ranks 52nd in assists per game (16.1) while DePaul ranks 164th in assists allowed per game (14.2).
The Golden Eagles rank 44th in steals allowed per game (5.3) while the Blue Demons rank 89th (6.1).
Marquette averages 4.1 blocks per game, which ranks 69th in the nation. DePaul ranks 73rd in blocks allowed per game (3.2).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, DePaul is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Marquette is 3-1-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Blue Demons have been outscored by an average of 4.4 points in their last five games. On the season, DePaul has defeated opponents by an average of 3.1 points.
During their last five games, the Golden Eagles have scored an average of 85.2 points per game (1.4 above their season average) and allowed an average of 82.6 points per game (5.6 above their season average).
