Big East foes will clash when the DePaul Blue Demons (8-8, 1-3 Big East) go head-to-head against the Providence Friars (11-6, 2-2 Big East) at Wintrust Arena. The games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 148.5 points with Providence opening as a 2-point favorite. Action begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 12, 2018.
Providence Friars at DePaul Blue Demons Free Preview
The Friars defeated the No. 5 Xavier Musketeers in their last outing, 81-72. Kyron Cartwright was Providence’s high scorer with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Providence played a nearly flawless game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.357 (above their season average of 0.278) and a turnover percentage of 12.1 (better than their season average of 16.7). Xavier recorded marks of 0.172 and 17.3, respectively, for those same stats.
The last time the Blue Demons played, they defeated the St. John’s Red Storm, 91-74. DePaul received a boost from Marin Maric, who was the games high scorer with 25 points on 7-for-8 shooting. DePaul dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had an absurd free throw rate of 0.361 (above their season average of 0.225) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 44.1 (above their season average of 33.0). St. John’s recorded marks of 0.164 and 26.2, respectively, for those same stats.
The offensive glass could be a huge edge for DePaul in this battle. The Blue Demons are among the NCAA’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking 66th in offensive rebounding percentage at 33.7 percent. Meanwhile, Providence ranks 245th in the nation at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebounding percentage of 69.8 percent.
Max Strus has really been playing well over the last five games for DePaul, averaging 25.2 points, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after splitting two games last season. In the last matchup, the Friars won 73-64. The Friars dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a ridiculous free throw rate of 0.436 and a ridiculous offensive rebounding percentage of 38.2. The Blue Demons were 0.245 and 21.9, respectively, for those same stats.
Providence Friars at DePaul Blue Demons Betting Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Providence, ATS Winner – Providence, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Friars rank 48th in steals per game (7.5) while the Blue Demons rank 105th (6.4).
- Providence averages 4.3 blocks per game, which ranks 56th in the nation. DePaul ranks 80th in blocks allowed per game (3.4).
- Providence averages 15.1 assists per game, which ranks 76th in the NCAA. DePaul ranks 171st in assists allowed per game (14.5).
- The Friars rank 158th in three pointers allowed per game (22.8) while the Blue Demons rank 239th (25.7).
- DePaul ranks 85th in rebounds per game (37.8) while Providence ranks 157th in rebounds allowed per game (35.7).
Betting Trends:
- The Blue Demons average margin of victory in their last five games has been 0.4, down from 3.8 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Friars have scored an average of 83.6 points per game (6.4 above their season average) and allowed an average of 79.4 points per game (6.8 above their season average).
