The DePaul Blue Demons travel on the road to rematch with the UConn Huskies. Read more for a full DePaul vs UConn prediction and preview.
The last time these two faced each other, the Huskies won the matchup 81-68 at the Wintrust Arena.
That night, Solo Ball led the way with 22 points and 6 rebounds. He accomplished this while shooting 7-12 (58.3%) from the field and 7-9 (77.8%) from downtown.
DePaul was led by Conor Enright, who nearly recorded a double-double while scoring 18 points and 9 assists. He shot 6-10 (60%) from the floor and 1-3 (33.3%) from beyond the arc.
General Information:
Teams: DePaul (10-11, 1-9) and #25 UConn (14-6, 6-3)
Tip: 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. EST)
Watch: Peacock
Latest on UConn basketball:
UConn enters this contest as the #25 ranked team in the country in this week’s AP Poll, hanging on to a 52-week streak of being ranked in the poll. The Huskies have suffered losses in back-to-back weeks, with the latest being on the road against Xavier.
UConn will continue to rely on Solo Ball, who has been averaging 18.1 points per game over the last seven games (since Liam McNeeley’s injury). If there’s one bright side to this injury, it’s that Ball has found some serious consistency and confidence on the offensive end of the floor. The Huskies will need another 22-point effort from Solo Ball if they want to get a bounce-back win.
On the injury front, Ahmad Nowell will be out for the second leg of the DePaul season series with an ankle injury. Liam McNeeley is a possible game-time decision for this one which, if you can see through the vagueness, means that he is ramping up for his return. Whether it happens tomorrow or later this week, it sounds like the five-star Freshman will be suiting up again soon.
The last home game for the Huskies was an OT thriller against Butler, but UConn fans were much more stressed than they were thrilled by the close finish. UConn needs a statement victory not only to get their swagger back, but to build some momentum as they get ready for a gauntlet of Marquette, St. John’s, and Creighton over the next two weeks.
Latest on DePaul basketball:
The Blue Demons have been on a rough stretch after defeating Georgetown for their first Big East conference win since the 2022-2023 season.
They currently stand on a two-game losing streak after losses to both Creighton (49-73) and Butler (69-86).
In their recent loss to the Bulldogs, N.J. Benson led the way with 20 points and 9 rebounds in the defeat while shooting 10-15 (66.7%) from the field.
Jacob Meyer, their leading scorer, has been struggling as of late. In the last three games, he has shot 0-5 from long range. Teams are bringing the pressure to DePaul in the perimeter, causing the offense to stagnate at times. He also hasn’t been scoring consistently as of late.
Before the win over the Hoyas, Meyer consistently scored double-digit points and was one of the key contributors. Since then, the most he scored in a game was 8 points against Georgetown. He only scored 1 point against Creighton from a free throw before scoring 4 points against Butler.
The Blue Demons still look to improve as conference play enters the second half of matchups. Each match on the schedule is a chance to rise and claw their way to further victories.
DePaul vs UConn prediction: Huskies by 7
This game will be tough. The Huskies have been on a back-and-forth stretch, winning three of their last five games. Whereas the Blue Demons have lost their last two straight.
A matchup in Connecticut will be tough for DePaul. Despite the loss of McNeeley, UConn still manages to claw their way to more wins as the season enters its final stretch.
Truly this will be one of the biggest tests for the Blue Demons. They fought tooth and claw the first time. The Huskies will be more prepared this time around.