DePaul vs Xavier 1/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 20^th ranked Xavier Musketeers will travel to Wintrust Arena to take on the DePaul Blue Demons this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The 20^th ranked Xavier Musketeers improved to 13-3 on the season after defeating the Creighton Bluejays, 80-73, this past Saturday. Xavier trailed by a 34-29 margin at halftime, however, the Musketeers were outstanding on the offensive end in the 2^nd half and was able to pull away after taking a 63-53 lead with 5:16 left in regulation. Xavier shot 43.1% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Creighton to shoot 50.0% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way fo the Musketeers was Zach Freemantle who had a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Xavier is averaging 75.6 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Musketeers are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 33.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Xavier has been led by Nate Johnson (12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg), Jack Nunge (11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg), Colby Jones (11.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg), & Paul Scruggs (11.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.6 spg).

Defensively, Xavier is holding their opponents to an average of 63.4 ppg on 40.0% shooting from the field. The Musketeers have a rebound margin of 6.9 and a turnover margin of 3.7.

The DePaul Blue Demons snapped their 5-game losing streak and improved to 10-6 on the season after defeating the 20^th ranked Seton Hall Pirates, 96-92, this past Thursday. DePaul was outstanding offensively against Seton Hall and was able to hold off a late Pirates charge after taking an 87-76 lead with :56 seconds left in regulation. DePaul shot 45.0% from the field & 26.1% from beyond arc while allowing Seton Hall to shoot 40.8% from the field & 27.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Blue Demons was David Jones who had 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 5 steals.

On the season, DePaul is averaging 78.0 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Blue Demons are averaging 6.9 three-pointers on 32.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Xavier has been led by Javon Freeman-Liberty (21.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg), David Jones (15.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.8 spg), Brandon Johnson (10.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Nick Ongenda (9.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 bpg).

Defensviely, DePaul is allowing their opponents to average 72.2 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Blue Demons have a rebound margin of 5.5 and a turnover margin of -0.1.

The Musketeers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games vs. Big East opponents. DePaul are just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games and just 5-10 ATS in their last 15 Wednesday home games.

Xavier has been solid on both ends of the court this season and come into this game ranked t-94^th in scoring offense, 51^st in scoring defense, & 51^st in defensive FG%. DePaul has been led by their offense which ranks t-49^th in scoring offense & 145^th in FG%, however, the Blue Demons have struggled a bit on the defensive end and come into this game ranked just 261^st in scoring defense & 157^th in defensive FG%.

DePaul is coming off a nice win against Seton Hall, however, the Blue Demons have generally struggled against the tougher competition they have faced this season which include losing at home to both Providence & Villanova by an average of 16 points. Xavier has a solid defense to go along with their high-scoring offense and as we’ve seen Xavier pull out solid wins on the road vs. Oklahoma State & Butler, I think the Musketeers will be able to do enough to cover this mid-range home spread. Good Luck!