Creighton vs DePaul 1/22/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The DePaul Blue Demons will travel to the CHI Health Center Omaha to take on the Creighton Bluejays this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The DePaul Blue Demons dropped to 10-7 on the season after being defeated by the 20^th ranked Xavier Musketeers, 68-67, this past Tuesday. DePaul led for most of the game, however, the Blue Demons struggled offensively down the stretch and Xavier was able to hold on for the victory after Jack Nunge put the Musketeers up for good with 1:15 left in regulation. DePaul shot 39.4% from the field & 37.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Xavier to shoot 48.1% from the field & 42.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Blue Demons was David Jones who had 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 2 steals.

On the season, DePaul is averaging 77.4 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Blue Demons are averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game on 32.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, DePaul has been led by Javon Freeman-Liberty (21.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg), David Jones (16.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.8 spg), Brandon Johnson (11.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg), & Nick Ongenda (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 bpg). Javon Freeman-Liberty missed the Blue Demons last game due to an unspecified injury and is questionable for this matchup.

Defensviely, DePaul is allowing their opponents to average 71.9 ppg on 42.5% shooting from the field. The Blue Demons have a rebound margin of 5.3 and a turnover margin of -0.1.

The Creighton Bluejays snapped their 2-game losing streak and improved to 11-5 on the season after defeating the Saint John’s Red Storm, 87-64, this past Wednesday. Creighton was outstanding on both ends of the court against St. John’s and had no problem pulling away for the victory after a 12-0 Bluejays run gave Creighton a 66-39 lead with 13:07 left in regulation. Creighton shot 50.0% from the field & 51.9% from beyond the arc while holding St. John’s to shoot 38.6% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bluejays was Alex O’Connell who had 28 points, 7 rebounds, & 2 assists.

On the season, Creighton is averaging 71.6 ppg on 47.3% shooting from the field. The Bluejays are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 32.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Creighton has been led by Alex O’Connell (13.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.7 apg), Ryan Hawkins (13.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.5 apg), Ryan Nembhard (11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.4 spg), & Ryan Kalkbrenner (11.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Creighton is allowing their opponents to average 66.6 ppg on 39.6% shooting from the field. The Bluejays have a rebound margin of 5.1 and a turnover margin of -4.1.

The Blue Demons are 10-6-1 ATS on the season, however, are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 Saturday games. The Bluejays are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

DePaul has been led by their offense which ranks 58^th in scoring offense & 157^th in FG%, however, the Blue Demons defense has struggled and currently rank just 263^rd in scoring defense & 199^th in defensive FG%. Creighton has been decent on both sides of the ball this season as they Bluejays rank 39^th in scoring offense, 117^th in scoring defense, 34^th in defensive FG%, & 61^st in rebound margin.

Creighton has been solid at home recently, which includes 20+ point wins against Villanova & St. John’s, and it’s hard to trust the Blue Demons that might be without their best player in Javon Freeman-Liberty. DePaul is just 2-3 on the road with a defense that has allowed their opponents to average 81.5 ppg over their last 4 games and as I think the Bluejays have no problem putting up plenty of points against the Blue Demons, I’m taking Creighton to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!