It’s a battle of Big East foes on the hardwood as a pair of squads looking for a win collide in the Windy City. The Xavier Musketeers are on the road as they make the trip west to battle the DePaul Blue Demons Saturday afternoon. Xavier comes in off an 82-72 home loss to St. John’s in their previous game Tuesday night, losing outright as a one-point favorite. DePaul fell 85-80 in overtime on the road to Seton Hall Wednesday night, failing to cover the line as a 2.5-point underdog, in their previous contest. In the all-time series between the teams, the Musketeers own an 18-5 advantage and have won the last four matchups. That includes a 91-58 home win in the most recent matchup February 28, 2024.
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Who will win this matchup? Read more about this Xavier vs. DePaul prediction!
Xavier Shooting to Earn Road Conference Win
Xavier fell for the fifth time in six games as they were downed by St. John’s at home Tuesday night. The Musketeers fell to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in the Big East on the year. Against St. John’s, Xavier’s lone lead in the game came at 2-0: they promptly were outscored 23-8 after that to trail 23-10 with 9:28 to play in the first half. The Musketeers managed to climb back within four at the half but couldn’t narrow the gap any further the rest of the way, sending them to defeat. Xavier shot just 36.7% from the field, including four of 18 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 50-30 in the game. Zach Freemantle led the Musketeers with 22 points in the loss.
The Musketeers are averaging 79 points per game so far this season, putting them 92nd in scoring offense on the year. Xavier pulls down an average of 35.1 rebounds a night (243rd) while dishing out 17.1 assists (35th) per contest. The Musketeers are slightly above average on the defensive end of the floor as they are allowing 70.3 points a game, leaving them 149th in scoring defense. Zach Freemantle leads the team as he averages 17.2 points plus 7.3 rebounds per game this season. Ryan Conwell (15.9 points) is one of two other players averaging in double figures. Dayvion McKnight (10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists), Dailyn Swain, Marcus Foster, Jerome Hunter, Dante Maddox Jr., Trey Green and John Hugley IV are key pieces for Sean Miller’s team this year. Xavier shoots 46.1% from the field as a team this season. The Musketeers are connecting on 8.4 three-pointers a night while shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc this season, which is 19th in the nation. Xavier is above average at the charity stripe as they convert 78.9% of their chances at the line this year, putting them 13th in Division I.
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Blue Demons Hoping to Conjure Up Home Triumph
DePaul dropped their third straight and fifth in the last six games as they were beaten by Seton Hall on the road Wednesday night. The Blue Demons slumped to 9-7 overall and sit 0-5 in Big East action on the season. Against Seton Hall, DePaul scored the game’s first six points, led by as many as 17 in the first half and by 15 at intermission. The Blue Demons led by as many as 18 in the second half and held an 11-point lead with 4:12 remaining in regulation only to give up the game-tying three-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining. During overtime, DePaul gave up a 10-3 run to start the extra session and never recovered. The Blue Demons shot 42.6% from the field, including 13 of 35 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 15 times while allowing Seton Hall to shoot 52.7% in the game. CJ Gunn led DePaul with 21 points in the loss.
The Blue Demons are above average on the offensive end of the floor as they put up 77.8 points per game on the year, putting them 115th in the nation in scoring offense. DePaul pulls down 37.2 rebounds per contest (134th) and dishes out 17.3 assists a night this season. The Blue Demons are below average on the defensive end, ranking 236th by allowing 73.2 points per contest. Jacob Meyer leads the team with 14.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game this season. Isaiah Rivera (10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds Is one of the team’s reliable secondary scoring options this season. CJ Gunn (10.1 points), David Skogman, Layden Blocker, JJ Traynor, Conor Enright, NJ Benson and Troy D’Amico are other key players for the Blue Demons for coach Chris Holtmann. DePaul shoots 44.8% from the floor as a team this season. The Blue Demons knock down 10.9 triples a night (12th) while connecting on 37.7% (40th) from beyond the arc. DePaul is below average when it comes to their free throw chances as they sink 71% of their opportunities on the year.
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Best Bets for Xavier vs. DePaul
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
We’re looking at a pair of struggling teams as each has dropped five of their previous six games. DePaul just blew an 18-point lead against Seton Hall in the second half and that’s not an opportunity that they will get often. Now, they have to deal with a Xavier squad that is trying to turn around their own recent misfortunes. Xavier is a good offensive unit and they are better defensively than DePaul is at this stage of things. The Musketeers have experience in spades as they are second in the nation in Division I experience. That, coupled with the leadership of Freemantle and good perimeter shooting, gives them the edge here.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Xavier, for their offensive weaponry, have done a decent job holding opposing teams in check and holding games under the number this season. The Musketeers are 67th in defensive efficiency, 80th in effective field goal percentage defense (47.8%), 67th in two-point defense (47.5%) and 150th in field goal percentage defense (42.5%) this season. DePaul is a team that lives and dies by the three-pointer as 41.8% of their points (eighth in Division I) come from beyond the arc this season. The Blue Demons are 320th in block percentage (12%) and 301st in steal percentage (11.3%) offensively, which leads to empty possessions. Look for this game to end up falling short ot the total as the perimeter shots don’t fall for the Blue Demons.
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