Salivating over this year’s freshmen class may have been the popular thing to do early in the season. However, after three months of basketball, now it’s the time to turn our attention over the to upperclassmen—particularly Creighton’s Doug McDermott. The senior is arguably the best player in college basketball, averaging 25 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists while leading the No.12 Bluejays to an 18-3 record and 8-1 mark in Big East Conference play. Creighton is an offensive powerhouse, and this is the most talented team that nobody is paying attention too.

The DePaul Blue Demons are sitting in last place in the Big East with a 2-8 conference record and have lost five straight games—four of them by double-digits. And to make matters worse, DePaul will face two highly-ranked teams when they visit No. 12 Creighton on Friday and then host the No. 6 Villanova Wildcats next week. The squad might not have a realistic shot of ending its losing streak over its next two matchups, but the team can at least try and cover a spread or two. Let’s take a closer look at the DePaul versus Creighton Big East game with predictions and analysis.

DePaul at Creighton Betting Story Lines

Creighton may be ready to make a run during this year’s NCAA Tournament as the team seems to be peaking at just the right time. The Bluejays are the 20th-ranked scoring team in the nation, averaging 81.3 points per game, and they are ranked first in assist per game with 18.3 and ninth in field goal percentage at .493. The squad also carries a solid 13-6 ATS record and has covered three of its last five overall matchups and two of its last three double-digit spreads.

Creighton has only two double-digit scorers, but with McDermott’s 25 points per game and forward Ethan Wragge’s 12 points per game, the team has enough offensive fire power to score with any squad in the nation. The Bluejays have three consecutive victories and are coming off a close win over St. John’s on Tuesday night. McDermott powered the team to a win with a season-high 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting.

Not only has DePaul struggled to play competitive basketball over the course of the season, the team has also been unable to cover spreads and currently sits on a 10-12 ATS record to go along with its 10-13 SU record. The squad has covered only one spread in its last five outings while receiving points in each game. In fact, DePaul has been an underdog in 15 of its 23 games played this season. The squad averages only 71.6 points per game this season on the strength of leading-scorer Cleveland Melvin’s 16.7 points per game. Melvin also grabs 6.4 rebounds per contest.

DePaul at Creighton NCAA Betting Odds and Key Trends

Creighton opened as a 19.5-point favorite over the underdog Blue Demons at BetOnline. Creighton is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven Friday games and 5-1 ATS in its last six following an ATS loss. The squad is 4-1 ATS in its recent matchups against teams with losing SU records and 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games following a SU win. Creighton is also 7-2 ATS in its last nine home games.

DePaul is 4-1 ATS over its last five Friday games and 5-2 ATS over its last seven road games against teams with a home winning percentage of .600 or better. The squad, however, is only 1-4 ATS in its recent matchups against the Big East and in its last five overall games. DePaul is also 2-6 ATS over its last eight games following a double-digit loss at home.

Free College Basketball Picks: DePaul at Creighton Predictions

DePaul has lost seven of its last eight matchups by 10 points or more, but the squad has not lost a game by more than 19 points all season. The first time these two teams met, back in early-January, Creighton won by 19 points in a matchup that it thoroughly dominated. However, 19.5 points is a lot of ground to cover, even for a very talented squad like Creighton. DePaul is in desperate need of a win, and even though it probably won’t get one against the Bluejays on Friday night, the team should be able to play with enough fire and energy to cover the spread. Take the Blue Demons to cover the spread late in the game.

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Read more articles by George Monroy