Blue Demons vs. Musketeers Prediction
The DePaul Blue Demons will meet the Xavier Musketeers tonight in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Can underdog DePaul make some noise and keep this one close enough to stay within the number?
Game Snapshot
657 DePaul Blue Demons vs. 658 Xavier Musketeers
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Madison Square Garden at 9:30PM ET
TV: FS1
Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our NCAA Basketball Odds & Betting Page
According to oddsmakers, the Musketeers are a 6.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 133 points. As of Wednesday afternoon, 72 percent of public bets are being placed on Xavier. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates.
Blue Demons crushed by Friars
DePaul suffered a 93-55 loss Saturday at Providence to drop to 15-16 overall and 3-15 in the Big East Conference. The Blue Demons trailed 55-25 at halftime on their way to the lopsided defeat. Charlie Moore paced DePaul with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting including 2-of-6 from 3-point distance plus 2-of-2 at the free throw line. He also accounted for six assists and three assists. Nick Ongenda added 10 points and six boards.
Musketeers drop heartbreaker
Xavier gave up the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining Saturday night in a 72-71 home loss to Butler. The Musketeers (19-12, 8-10) outscored the Bulldogs 44-43 in the second half but it was not enough in the end. Naji Marshall led Xavier with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting plus 7-of-11 at the free throw line. He also tallied five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Jason Carter accounted for 17 points and two boards. Tyrique Jones contributed 14 points and 13 caroms. Kyky Tandy added 10 points and two dimes off the bench.
College Basketball Betting Trends
DePaul
The Blue Demons are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 Wednesday games. DePaul is 5-21 ATS in its last 26 neutral site games.
Xavier
The Musketeers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games. The favorite is 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings.
Prediction:
It’s definitely difficult to endorse a team that was smoked as badly as the Blue Demons were over the weekend. The Musketeers have also already beaten them by eight and 11 points, respectively. While DePaul has shown some life at home, it’s difficult to trust either on the road or in a neutral setting. I’m comfortable with taking a Xavier squad that is salty over its weekend defeat.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: XAVIER MUSKETEERS -6.5
