DePaul basketball travels back home for another conference opponent, the Creighton Bluejays. Both teams come to Chicago off of a win. Read more for a full DePaul vs Creighton prediction and preview.
The Blue Demons come home after winning their first conference game since the 2022-2023 season.
Against the Georgetown Hoyas, the team won 73-68.
C.J. Gunn led the team in scoring with 17 points while shooting 5-9 (55.6%) from the field and 2-3 (66.7%) from beyond the arc.
For the visiting Bluejays they come off of an upset, 68-63 victory over the UConn Huskies. Jamiya Neal led the team in scoring with 24 points and 4 rebounds. He shot 10-16 (62.5%) overall and 3-5 (60%) from downtown.
General Information:
Teams: DePaul (10-9, 1-7) and Creighton (12-6, 5-2)
Tip: 8 p.m. CST (9 p.m. EST)
Watch: FS1
Listen: Radio DePaul Sports & Entertainment (RDSE)
Latest on Creighton basketball:
The last five games have seen great success from Creighton, winning four of their last five games with only one loss to Marquette (71-79). However, all but 0ne of their last five matchups have been close, sometimes too close for comfort for the Bluejays fans.
Before the loss to Marquette, the team defeated the St. John’s Red Storm 57-56 in a thrilling upset at home thanks to a pair of clutch free throws from Steven Ashworth who led the team in scoring with 18 points.
In a road match against the Butler Bulldogs, the team narrowly won 80-76. Ryan Kalkbrenner led the team for that game with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals in that victory.
Against the Providence Friars, Creighton won 84-64 in dominant fashion. Kalkbrenner led the team in the blowout victory with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
This Bluejays roster boasts two of the five best scorers in the Big East with both Kalkbrenner and Ashworth averaging over 17 points this season. Kalkbrenner is also one of the best interior protectors in the conference, averaging 8.4 rebounds which is second in the Big East. He also is a great shooter from the field, averaging 65.4% this season, fifth in the nation.
Ashworth is another key player as he leads the Big East in assists with 6.8 per game. That is also ninth in the entire country.
As a team, they are among the best in the conference, among the top five in field goal percentage (46.9%), free-throw percentage (75.5%), rebounds (37.5), assists (16.8), and blocks (4.9).
The Bluejays are a team that is a threat across the board and are not to be underestimated.
Latest on DePaul basketball:
Head coach Chris Holtmann promised a conference win would be coming for the Blue Demons, and last week the team delivered it.
Besides a blowout, 56-100 defeat against the Villanova Wildcats, DePaul’s last five games have been close and tough matchups. Two of which against Marquette (83-85) and Seton Hall (80-85) went into overtime.
While Creighton boasts a two-headed monster in Ashworth and Kalkbrenner, the Blue Demons are more spread around in terms of who leads this team. On any given night, most of the players on the team lead the squad whether in victory or defeat.
Jacob Meyer leads the team in scoring with 13.6 points. Yet, Gunn has led the team in scoring for the last four games straight. In their last non-conference win against Loyola Maryland, N.J. Benson led the team in scoring with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Any player can be a threat on this team.
Benson leads the team in boards, averaging 5.8 rebounds which is 10th in the Big East. Conor Enright leads the team in assists with 6.7 which is second in the conference behind Ashworth and 11th in the nation.
DePaul is still among the best in the conference in three-point percentage, shooting 37.6% from beyond the arc which is third in the Big East. They also are second in assists, averaging 17.2 per game.
DePaul vs Creighton prediction: Blue Demons by 3
This game will remain too close for comfort for either team. The Blue Demons get a slight edge due to how unpredictable the team is in terms of who can score. However, if they start off the game slower than they did against Georgetown, the Bluejays could make life a living nightmare for DePaul.