The DePaul Blue Demons (11-17, 4-12 Big East) will travel to CenturyLink Center Omaha to clash against the Creighton Bluejays (20-9, 9-7 Big East) in their home finale. The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 153.5 points with Creighton opening as an 8.5-point favorite. Action gets underway at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 27, 2018.
DePaul Blue Demons at Creighton Bluejays ATS Preview
The last time the Blue Demons played, they defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles, 70-62. Max Strus was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting. DePaul dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.390 (above their season average of 0.204) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 44.2 (above their season average of 32.9). Marquette had marks of 0.102 and 16.7, respectively, for those same stats.
The Bluejays will look to maintain momentum after beating the No. 3 Villanova Wildcats in their last game, 89-83. Creighton was lifted by Marcus Foster, who was the top scorer from either team with 28 points on 9-for-23 shooting. The Bluejays knocked down 15 of their 20 free throws (75.0 percent) and held the Wildcats to an effective field goal percentage of 0.493 (below their season average of 0.605).
Creighton should have the edge on the offensive side of the ball. The Bluejays rank 21st in offensive efficiency, while DePaul ranks 200th in defensive efficiency. Furthermore, the Blue Demons are among the nation’s best on the offensive backboards, ranking 53rd in offensive rebounding percentage (33.4 percent). The Bluejays, meanwhile, rank 24th in defensive rebounding percentage (76.0 percent).
Of DePaul’s 26 games that accepted bets, 14 have finished over the O/U total, while 15 of Creighton’s 27 games have finished over the projected point total. The Bluejays have the superior straight up (SU) record (20-9 vs. 11-17), but the Blue Demons hold the sizable advantage against the spread (ATS) (15-13 vs. 13-14).
These teams have already met once this season. In that game, the two teams combined to score 151 points, just under the projected point total of 155.5. The Bluejays won 76-75, but were unable to cover as 7-point favorites. Creighton’s 0.581 effective field goal percentage was its largest advantage over DePaul, who had a rate of 0.525.
Foster scored a game-high 29 points.DePaul Blue Demons at Creighton Bluejays Free Prediction
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Creighton, ATS Winner – DePaul, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Blue Demons average 6.5 steals per game, which ranks 103rd in the NCAA. The Bluejays rank 123rd in steals allowed per game (6.2).
- DePaul is 8-5 ATS on the road, while Creighton is 9-6 ATS at home.
- The total has gone over in 8 of the Bluejays’ 15 home games, while 8 of the Blue Demons’ 13 road games have gone over.
- Creighton averages 27.8 three pointers per game, which ranks 14th in the NCAA. DePaul ranks 260th in three pointers allowed per game (24.9).
- The Bluejays average 18.2 assists per game, which ranks fifth in the NCAA. The Blue Demons rank 223rd in assists allowed per game (14.9).
- DePaul averages 37.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 67th in the nation. Creighton ranks 143rd in rebounds allowed per game (34.7).
Bettings Trends:
- Creighton is 1-3 ATS with 3 overs and 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, DePaul is 4-1 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
- The Bluejays’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 5.2, down from 10.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Blue Demons have scored an average of 73.0 points per game (0.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 75.4 points per game (1.5 above their season average).
