The Marquette Golden Eagles (18-12, 9-9 Big East) and the DePaul Blue Demons (11-19, 4-14 Big East) face off in the Big East Conference Tourney at Madison Square Garden. Marquette opened as a 6-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 152.5 points. Action begins at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 7, 2018.
DePaul Blue Demons vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Preview
The Blue Demons lost a close one to the No. 3 Xavier Musketeers in their last matchup, 65-62. With 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting, Brandon Cyrus led DePaul in scoring. Xavier did a fantastic job of converting from the free throw line (17-19; 89.5 percent). DePaul, on the other hand, forced the Musketeers into a turnover percentage of 25.5 (above their season average of 15.2).
In the Golden Eagles’ last game, they beat the Creighton Bluejays, 85-81. With 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting, Andrew Rowsey was Marquette’s high scorer. The Golden Eagles knocked down 15 of their 18 free throws (83.3 percent) and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.636 (above their season average of 0.565).
Marquette figures to have the edge on the offensive side of the ball. The Golden Eagles currently rank 19th in offensive efficiency, while the Blue Demons rank 206th in defensive efficiency.
Of DePaul’s 28 games that accepted bets, 14 have finished over the O/U total, while 17 of Marquette’s 28 games have finished over the projected point total. The Golden Eagles have the better straight up (SU) record (18-12 vs. 11-19), but the Blue Demons have the better against the spread (ATS) record (16-14 vs. 15-13-1).
Rowsey has been playing at a high level over the last five games for Marquette, averaging 23.6 points and 6.6 assists per game.
These two teams have already met twice this year, each winning once. Max Strus scored a game-high 20 points in the most recent game, in which the Blue Demons beat the Golden Eagles 70-62, covering as 3-point underdogs. He also recorded 11 rebounds. The two teams combined for 132 points, which was 24.5 points below the projected point total of 156.5 points. The Blue Demons played a nearly flawless game. They had an extraordinary free throw rate of 0.390 and a ridiculous offensive rebounding percentage of 44.2. The Golden Eagles recorded marks of 0.102 and 16.7, respectively, for those same stats.
DePaul Blue Demons vs. Marquette Golden Eagles ATS Prediction
Free College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Marquette, ATS Winner – DePaul, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Golden Eagles rank 127th in steals per game (6.2) while the Blue Demons rank 199th in steals allowed per game (7.1).
- Marquette averages 26.9 three pointers per game, which ranks 21st in the nation. DePaul ranks 279th in three pointers allowed per game (25.0).
- The Golden Eagles rank 30th in assists per game (16.0) while the Blue Demons rank 236th in assists allowed per game (15.1).
- DePaul ranks 73rd in rebounds per game (37.5) while Marquette ranks 256th (32.5).
Bettings Trends:
- Marquette is 4-1 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, DePaul is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Golden Eagles’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 3.2, down from 3.6 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Blue Demons have scored an average of 65.6 points per game (6.4 below their season average) and allowed an average of 76.8 points per game (2.9 above their season average).
