DePaul Blue Demons vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/18/2023

Game Time: 4:00 pm ET, Saturday, February 18, 2023

Venue:  Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH

Where to Watch:  CBS Sports

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  DePaul +14, Xavier -14; Over/Under:  157.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  DePaul +14, Xavier -14; Over/Under:  157.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  DePaul +14, Xavier -14; Over/Under:  157.5 points

DePaul Blue Demons:  9-17 (3-12) (10th place, Big East)

Xavier Musketeers:  19-7 (11-4) (2nd place, Big East)

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DePaul Blue Demons:  0-5  last 5

Xavier Musketeers:  2-3  last 5

DePaul is coming into this game with a 9-17 record overall and they are 2-9 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 3-12 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 7 game losing streak with losses coming against the Providence Friars, the Georgetown Hoyas, the Marquette Golden Eagles, the UConn Huskies, the Seton Hall Pirates, the Villanova Wildcats, and the St. John’s Red Storm in their last game. Javan Johnson led the team in points in that game with 26 while Umoja Gibson was next on the team with 17 points. Javan Johnson and Umoja Gibson each led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Da'Sean Nelson led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 39.5% from the field, 42.3% from 3-point range, and 70.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 71.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 76.7 PPG against them. DePaul has an ATS record of 10-14-2 this season and their O/U record is 13-12-1.

Xavier is coming into this game with a 19-7 record overall and they are 13-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 11-4 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Butler Bulldogs and the Marquette Golden Eagles in their last game. Souley Boum led the team in points in that game with 24 while Colby Jones was next on the team with 13 points. Colby Jones led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Colby Jones led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 52.9% from the field, 36.8% from 3-point range, and 77.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 75.5 PPG against them. Xavier has an ATS record of 14-11-1 this season and their O/U record is 17-8-1.

The current betting odds have Xavier listed as a 14 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Xavier has been having a great season this year as they enter this game as a ranked team with their 19-7 record overall and they have one of the best records in the Big East too with their 11-4 conference record. They have also been a really good home team this year with a 13-1 home record and they have been playing really well lately with big wins over bad teams and even keeping their games very close on the road against some of these other ranked teams in the Big East. DePaul has been terrible this year too as they have a losing 9-17 record overall and are one of the worst teams in the Big East. They are only 2-9 in their road games this season and they are 3-12 in their conference games, entering this game with 7 losses in a row now too. Xavier almost pulled off a huge upset win over Marquette on the road in their last game so they will be looking to bounce back on their home court here with a big win over a bad team. The best way to place a bet here is on Xavier to cover the spread in this game.

DePaul Xavier Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, February 18, 2023 (4:00 pm ET start time) is Xavier 92 DePaul 66.

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DePaul Blue Demons: 12-7 ATS off a home loss. 12-5 ATS after scoring 80 points or more. 8-1 OVER after allowing 80 points or more.

Xavier Musketeers: 14-28 ATS after 3 consecutive conference games. 9-16 ATS after playing a road game. 11-3 OVER after playing a game as a road underdog.

DePaul Blue Demons:  Y. Anei (F) Ques Sat - Hamstring. Z. Cruz (G) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. A. Bynum (G) Out indefinitely - Suspension.

Xavier Musketeers:  D. Claude (G) Ques Sat - Illness. K. Craft (G) Mid March - Knee. Z. Freemantle (F) Early March - Foot.

“I thought our guys competed for 50 minutes and I’ll tell you what I told them in the locker room, ‘I take full responsibility for this loss, this is 110% on me that we weren’t able to pull this game out.’” - Tony Stubblefield after his team’s loss against St. John’s in their last game. 

“To play in a game that fast and have zero turnovers, is really hard to do. He’s playing like an All-American.” - Sean Miller on Souley Boum this season. 

Y. Anei 

P. Gebrewhit 

U. Gibson 

J. Johnson 

E. Penn

S. Boum 

Z. Freemantle 

C. Jones 

A. Kunkel 

J. Nunge

PPG: U. Gibson (16.2)

APG: U. Gibson (4.8)

Reb/G: E. Penn (7.3)

PPG: S. Boum (16.4)

APG: S. Boum (4.8)

Reb/G: Z. Freemantle (8.1)

Coaches:

DePaul Blue Demons: Tony Stubblefield (2nd season)

Xavier Musketeers: Sean Miller (1st season)