The No. 11 Providence Friars will be at Allstate Arena to take on the DePaul Blue Demons in a Big East matchup. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and will air on FS1.
The Blue Demons got blown out by Xavier 86-65 on Saturday. Tommy Hamilton IV played well for the Blue Demons, contributing 15 points, five rebounds, and one assist. The Friars, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-69 win over Georgetown on Saturday. Ben Bentil led the game in scoring with 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
Bentil has been on fire over the last five games for the Friars, averaging 24.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 three-pointer.
It could be an error-filled game for the Blue Demons offense, which ranks 332nd in the nation in ball protection (TO% of 21.6%). They’ll be facing the gambling Providence defense, which forces the 33rd-most turnovers in the nation (21.8%).
DePaul, a six-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Providence. The matchup currently has a 137-point Over/Under (O/U). The Blue Demons look to improve upon their records of 7-14 Straight Up (SU) and 7-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS).
Across the court, the Friars head into the game with records of 13-8 ATS and 18-4 SU. Most recently, Providence is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. The Friars rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 41st-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.34. The Providence defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 31st in Division I with only 67 points allowed per road game. Teams seem to consistently miss three-point shots against the Friars, who are the 42nd-best team in the country in terms of three-point field goal percentage allowed at .312. Providence may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Blue Demons averaging 22.6 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, Providence came out on top, moving its SU record against DePaul to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Providence held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. DePaul never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Prov, ATS Winner – DePaul, O/U – Over
Notes
DePaul is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games.
DePaul is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of DePaul’s last 6 games at home.
DePaul is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of DePaul’s last 5 games when playing Providence.
DePaul is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Providence.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of DePaul’s last 6 games when playing at home against Providence.
Providence sits at 6-3 SU against the conference, while DePaul is 1-8 SU.
DePaul scores just 71.4 points per home game (ranked 289th). Providence ranks 31st in points allowed on the road, giving up 67.0 points.
DePaul lost its last game by a 21-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Providence is 4-0. DePaul is 3-4 in blowouts this season.
Providence beats DePaul in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Friars average 69.3 possessions and 1.069 points per possession, while the Blue Demons average 67.8 possessions with 1.008 points per possession.
The DePaul Blue Demons average an effective field goal percentage of 49.8% this season. The Providence Friars have a solid 8-4 record in games where 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 Providence Friars average 20.0 attempts and have a tremendous record (12-2) when attempting 20 or more.
Providence ranks 41st in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.34. DePaul is ranked lower at 304th with an A/TO of .85.
The DePaul Blue Demons make an average of 4.5 steals per game. When the Providence Friars allow 4 or more steals, they are a superb 14-4.
