DePaul basketball hosts their rivals, the Marquette Golden Eagles on Tuesday. The Blue Demons are still searching for a conference win. Read more for a full DePaul vs Marquette prediction and preview.
The Blue Demons host this matchup after another conference loss to the Xavier Musketeers.
C.J. Gunn led the team in scoring with 16 points and 7 rebounds. He accomplished this while shooting 6-11 (54.5%) overall and 3-7 (42.9%) from beyond the arc.
For the Golden Eagles, they come down to Chicago undefeated in conference play, including their most recent win over the Georgetown Hoyas (74-66). They were led by Chase Ross, who scored 27 points and 6 steals while shooting 7-12 (58.3%) from the field and 4-6 (66.7%).
General Information:
Teams: DePaul (9-8, 0-6) and Marquette (14-2, 5-0)
Tip: 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST)
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Listen: Radio DePaul Sports & Entertainment (RDSE)
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The Golden Eagles are led by Kam Jones, who’s second in the Big East conference in scoring. He averages 19.7 points and shoots 50.6% overall and 34.6% from long range. His 19.7 points is also 20th in the nation.
The team is third in the conference in scoring, averaging 80 points. This team is also great in on-ball defense, leading the conference in steals with 10.5 steals per game.
Despite their high scoring volume, the team is not the best from downtown. Currently, they average 32.8% from beyond the arc, which is ninth in the Big East. That is ahead of only Georgetown (32.5%) and St. John’s (29.9%).
Head coach Shaka Smart has brought a dominant team this season. Currently, the Golden Eagles have a 14-2 record, as well as a 5-0 conference record. They boast wins over ranked opponents like Purdue (76-58) and Wisconsin (88-74). Their only two losses come from a ranked opponent in Iowa State (70-81), and an unranked opponent in Dayton (63-71).
Latest on DePaul basketball:
The Blue Demons over the last two weeks have had a rough last few games since defeating Loyola Maryland. Their last four conference losses have come to UConn (68-81), Villanova (56-100), Seton Hall (80-85) and recently Xavier (63-77).
DePaul averages 76.9 points which is good for sixth in the conference. Despite recent struggles in perimeter shooting, the team still is among the best while averaging 37.3% or third in the conference.
Jacob Meyer leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points which is 15th in the conference. Conor Enright is second in the conference in assists, averaging 6.6 assists per game. The Blue Demons have a great offense, but that hasn’t been enough to get them wins.
Their defense is the worst in the conference, allowing 73.5 points. Meanwhile, their opponents allow 66.4 points which is second in the conference. Their perimeter defense also has been struggling, allowing opponents to shoot 36.5% from downtown.
Head coach Chris Holtmann has talked extensively about- how a goal for this team is to get that elusive conference win. This time they face their biggest rivals up from Wisconsin in a packed home crowd that is sure to bring lots of students.
DePaul vs Marquette prediction: Golden Eagles by 8
This is a tough game to look at. The Blue Demons are great on offense, but not so great on the defense. They have struggled mightily from beyond the arc in recent matchups, and struggle to stop their opponents from scoring both outside and in the paint.
This game is going to come down to who can defend the arc better. If DePaul continues to struggle outside on defense, Marquette could take control both outside and in the glass. Wintrust Arena is sure to have a packed crowd and bring the energy they always do when DePaul comes to town.