DePaul Blue Demons vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 1/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: DePaul Blue Demons vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Location: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA

TV: ESPN+

The Villanova Wildcats (9-5) host the DePaul Blue Demons (9-5) at Finneran Pavilion on Saturday.

The DePaul Blue Demons faced Connecticut and took a loss by a score of 81-68 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Blue Demons finished with 14 while Connecticut recorded 20 fouls. They also converted 14 of their 29 tries from three-point range. Connecticut shot 70.0% from the charity stripe by burying 7 of their 10 tries. Furthermore, Connecticut had 33 rebounds (12 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Connecticut recorded 22 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. In the matter of the defense, DePaul allowed their opponent to shoot 48.4% from the floor on 30 out of 62 shooting. They also distributed 13 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and having 6 steals. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they collected 27 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Blue Demons converted 23 of 28 attempts for a rate of 82.1%. DePaul finished the contest with a 39.6% FG percentage (21 out of 53) and made 3 of 12 shots from distance.

Conor Enright is one player who was a contributor for the contest. He finished shooting 60.0% from the field and dished out 9 dimes. He played for 37 minutes and collected 4 boards. He ended up finishing with 18 points on 6 out of 10 shooting.

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DePaul will enter this game with a mark of 9-5 on the season. They have an average of 79.2 points per contest (99th in D-1) while connecting on 45.8% from the field. The Blue Demons are connecting on 38.5% on shots from beyond the arc (154 of 400) and 71.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, DePaul is pulling down 37.9 boards per game and has accounted for 253 assists for the season, which has them ranked 10th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 13.0 times per game and as a group they commit 16.1 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Blue Demons are forcing their opponents into 12.1 turnovers per game while drawing 15.6 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 271st in college in allowing assists with 193 relinquished on the year. The Blue Demons are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.4% (372 of 858) and they relinquish 33.2 rebounds per game as a team. They surrender 32.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 165th in college hoops in PPG allowed (70.5).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Villanova Wildcats got the victory with a final of 73-65 against Butler. The Wildcats recorded 32 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 42 in this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 6 times, while getting 4 steals for this contest. Butler had 16 personal fouls in the game which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 16 tries. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw tries for a clip of 87.5%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Villanova made 9 out of 26 attempts (34.6%). When the final whistle was blown, the Wildcats finished the game shooting 25 out of 59 from the field which had them shooting 42.4%. The Wildcats allowed Butler to make 22 of 52 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 42.3% in the game. They went 32.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 9 out of 28 and finished the game at 12 out of 23 at the charity stripe (52.2%). When it comes to attacking the glass, Villanova permitted Butler to pull down 29 overall (5 on the offensive glass).

Eric Dixon pitched in for the Wildcats for this contest. He totaled 28 points in his 38 mins of playing time and had 3 dimes for the matchup. He converted 10 out of 20 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and totaled 4 rebounds.

Villanova has a win-loss record of 9-5 so far this year. The Wildcats are committing 16.4 fouls every game and they connect on 80.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.7 times per contest (214th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.1 times per contest. Villanova has accounted for 1,101 points on the season (78.6 per game) and they grab 35.6 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Wildcats are hitting on 48.5% from the floor, which is 53rd in D-1.

The Villanova defense allows 36.5% on shots from beyond the arc (119 of 326) and opponents are knocking down 67.3% of their free throw shots. They have allowed 14.0 dimes and 28.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 251st and 5th in college hoops. The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 95th in Division 1 in PPG surrendered with 67.7. They are forcing 10.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.3% from the field (199th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Villanova

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