DePaul Blue Demons vs. Xavier Musketeers Free Pick

DePaul Blue Demons (3-24 SU, 9-17-1 ATS) vs. Xavier Musketeers (13-14 SU, 14-11-2 ATS)

When: Wednesday, February 28th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Cintas Center, OH, Cincinnati

TV: FS2

Point Spread: DEPAUL +19.5/XAV -19.5

Total: 155.5

Money Line: DePaul Blue Demons +1515/-6213

Notable Injuries

Blue Demons

• Caleb Murphy (Out) Wrist

Musketeers

Recent Form

DePaul is 3-24 this season, including an 0-16 record in Big East play. They have lost 15 straight games, and their average scoring margin on the road is -19.4 points per game. So far, the Blue Demons are 0-11 on the road.

As the underdog, DePaul has gone 0-21 this season. In their last game, they lost to Georgetown by a score of 77-76. Over their last 10 road games, the Blue Demons are 0-10.

DePaul’s over/under record for the season sits at 15-12, and the average scoring total in their games this year is 146.3 points. Today’s over/under line of 155.5 is higher than the average OU line in their games (144.1). So far, 18 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is a perfect 3-0, with the average scoring total in those games coming in at 159 points.

DePaul’s ATS record this season is 9-17-1. On the road, the Blue Demons are 4-7 vs. the spread, and over their last 10 road games, they are 4-6 ATS. As the underdog, DePaul has gone 6-14-1 vs. the spread this year.

At home this season, Xavier has gone 10-6, and their average scoring margin is +6.3 points per game. Over their last 10 games at home, they have gone 7-3, and over their last five, they are 3-2. They are coming off a loss to Marquette in their most recent game, which dropped their record to 13-14 on the season.

For the year, Xavier has been favored in 15 games, going 11-4 in those contests. They are favored by 19.5 points in today’s game, and their record against the spread is 7-9 in Big East games.

So far this season, the over/under record for Xavier games is 14-13, and today’s line of 155.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games of 149.3. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 154 points, and their over/under record in their last 10 games is 6-4.

At home this season, Xavier has an ATS record of 8-6-2. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Musketeers have gone 6-3-1 vs. the spread. In their last 3 home games, Xavier is 0-2-1 ATS.

Analysis

DePaul finished with 76 points in their game against Georgetown. This total surpasses their season average of 65 points per game. The team’s top scorer is Da’Sean Nelson, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 10.3, while Elijah Fisher also maintains a PPG average of 10.2 leading up to the game.

Looking at the DePaul defense, they will be looking for a better performance considering they are currently conceding 81.3 points per game (327th). On average, opposing teams are hitting 9.1 threes per game vs. Xavier. This has come on a three-point shooting percentage of 36.2%.

In contrast to their season average of 75.3 points per game, the Xavier had a below-average performance. They scored 64 points against Marquette and had a field goal percentage of 35.7%. Leading the team in scoring was Trey Green with 16 points. Quincy Olivari also added 14 points for the Musketeers.

At this time, the Musketeers’ defense is positioned 218th in the country, permitting 73.8 points per game. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.3 threes per game vs. DePaul. This has come on a three-point shooting percentage of 32.3%.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past ten road matchups, DePaul has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 62 per game. The team went 0-10 overall in these games.
• Through their last three home games, Xavier has an ATS record of just 1-2. However, their overall record was 1-2 while averaging 75 points per game.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, DePaul has an ATS mark of 2-3 while going 0-5 straight up.
• Through their previous five contests as the betting favorite, the Musketeers have a strong record of 4-1. Their record vs the spread in these matchups is 2-2-1.

Crew’s Total Pick

Take the Over 155.5