DePaul Blue Demons vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 2/5/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: DePaul Blue Demons vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Saturday, February 5, 2022

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: FS1

Cintas Center is where the Xavier Musketeers (16-5) will take on the DePaul Blue Demons (10-10) on Saturday.

The DePaul Blue Demons took the court against Connecticut and took a loss by a score of 57-50 in their last game. DePaul ended the game with a 28.8% field goal percentage (15 of 52) and knocked down 4 of their 15 shots from downtown. From the free throw line, the Blue Demons converted 16 of their 23 tries for a percentage of 69.6%. Concerning getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 32 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 5 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When discussing the defense, DePaul allowed their opponent to shoot 37.3% from the field on 22 out of 59 shooting. Connecticut recorded 8 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. Furthermore, Connecticut collected 41 boards (14 offensive, 27 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Connecticut finished the game at 73.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 11 of 15 attempts. They knocked down 2 out of their 15 tries from 3-point range. Concerning fouls, the Blue Demons walked away with 19 and Connecticut racked up 18 fouls.

Javan Johnson is one guy who was a major contributor in the game. He ended up going 60.0% from the floor but finished the game without a dime. He was on the hardwood for 39 minutes and also totaled 4 rebounds. He finished with 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting.

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DePaul enters this game with a win-loss record of 10-10 so far this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.7 times per contest and as a squad are committing 15.4 fouls every game. As a unit, DePaul is grabbing 39.0 rebounds per game and has accounted for 215 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 314th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Blue Demons are hitting 32.0% on shots from downtown (134 of 419) and 69.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 72.8 points per outing (150th in D-1) while shooting 43.0% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Blue Demons are forcing 12.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.2 fouls. They are 165th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 253 conceded for the year. The Blue Demons defense is allowing a FG percentage of 42.1% (514 of 1,221) and they surrender 35.7 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 34.2% on shots from downtown while they are 220th in college hoops in PPG allowed (70.4).

The last time they took the court, the Xavier Musketeers went home victorious with a score of 68-66 when they faced Butler. The Musketeers recorded 23 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 30 in this matchup. They gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while earning 6 steals in the game. Butler was called for 18 personal fouls in this contest which took the Musketeers to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throws for a rate of 65.0%. In terms of 3-pointers, Xavier knocked down 3 of 17 tries (17.6%). In all, the Musketeers ended up shooting 26 for 56 from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.4%. The Musketeers allowed Butler to bury 25 of their 57 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 43.9% in this game. They went 31.8% from beyond the arc by connecting on 7 of 22 and finished the game at 9 of 11 at the free throw line (81.8%). In the matter of cleaning up the glass, Xavier allowed Butler to snag 29 in total (5 offensive).

Zach Freemantle was important for the Musketeers for this contest. He buried 9 out of 13 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 69.2%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He scored 23 points in his 36 mins on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Xavier has a win-loss mark of 16-5 for the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Musketeers are hitting on 44.4% from the field, which is ranked 167th in college basketball. Xavier has accumulated 1,545 points for the year (73.6 per game) and they snag 38.5 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 14.6 times per contest (89th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 12.1 times per game. The Musketeers are committing 14.3 fouls every game and they connect on 71.2% from the free throw line.

The Xavier defense gives up 31.6% on 3-pointers (147 of 465) and opponents are connecting on 74.1% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 11.9 dimes and 33.0 rebounds every game, which is ranked 123rd and 96th in those categories on the defensive end. The Musketeers on the defensive end are ranked 62nd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 64.4. They are forcing 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 40.6% from the field (60th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take DePaul

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