The DePaul Blue Demons travel on the road to the CHI Health Center Omaha to have a rematch with the Creighton Bluejays in one of their last two road games of the season. Read more for a full DePaul vs Creighton prediction and preview.
Last time out, DePaul suffered a 72-84 defeat to the Butler Bulldogs at home this past weekend.
Layden Blocker led the team with 23 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting 8-14 (57.1%) from the field, 4-6 (66.7%) from beyond the arc, and 3-6 (50%) from the line.
For the Bluejays, they return after their recent 80-69 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas. Steven Ashworth led Creighton with 20 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. He shot 6-19 (31.6%) overall, 3-11 (27.3%) from downtown, and 5-7 (71.4%) from the line.
In the previous matchup between these two teams, the Creighton Bluejays handed Chris Holtmann and the Blue Demons a 43-79 loss at the Wintrust Arena. In that game, Jamiya Neal led them with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
Layden Blocker led the Blue Demons in that previous matchup with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals while coming off the bench.
General Information:
Teams: DePaul (11-17, 2-15) and Creighton (19-8, 12-4)
Tip: 8 p.m. CST
Watch: Peacock
Latest on Creighton basketball:
After beating the Hoyas, Creighton snapped their two-game losing streak, breaking a nine-game winning streak that spanned back to Dec. 21, 2024, where they defeated the Villanova Wildcats 86-79.
This streak included close wins against Butler (80-76) and Villanova (62-60 in their second matchup), and blowout victories over Seton Hall (79-54) and DePaul. It also saw them defeat two ranked opponents, Marquette (77-67) and UConn (68-63).
Their two recent losses have been close, both teams are likely to play in March Madness if all goes well, at least for one of them. The other is all but guaranteed.
In their rematch against UConn, the Bluejays barely lost 66-70 to the back-t0-back champions.
Creighton saw another close defeat to the St. John’s Red Storm 73-79. The Red Storm themselves currently are ranked the seventh-best team in the nation.
Ryan Kalkbrenner and Ashworth remain the two leaders of this team, both among the top five in the Big East in scoring (Kalkbrenner averages 18.7 points, and Ashworth averages 17.1, good for second and fifth in the conference).
Latest on DePaul basketball:
The Blue Demons’ losing streak was extended to five after their previous loss to the Butler Bulldogs. This streak is also their second five-game losing streak of the season.
Since DePaul’s 68-68 defeat to the Marquette Golden Eagles, the Blue Demons have missed N.J. Benson, one of their best players and defenders in the interior.
Against the Red Storm, DePaul was outrebounded 29-45. During their 68-85 defeat to the Xavier Musketeers, the Blue Demons were outrebounded 29-30. In their recent matchup, they were outrebounded 37-38.
In that matchup against St. John’s, they were also without David Skogman, who also was out against the Bulldogs. Injuries have been a key issue for the Blue Demons in the last stretches of the season. Currently, the respective statuses of both Skogman and Benson are unknown.
As a result, the team has seen more usage from key role players like Chris Riddle and Theo Pierre-Justin.
These last few games are crucial to prepare for the Big East tournament at the Madison Square Garden.
DePaul vs Creighton prediction: Bluejays by 14
This game is going to be a tough matchup, especially if one or both of Benson and Skogman are out. Ever since the loss to the Golden Eagles, the Blue Demons have kept their games close for one half, and then the opposing team catches fire and goes on a lengthy run, even multiple runs.
If both are out, this matchup will be even more difficult considering the size of Creighton’s players. The Bluejays boast multiple players standing at 6 feet 10 inches. Kalkbrenner stands over seven feet tall. Without the size that Skogman provides (6 feet 11 inches) and the defense that Benson provides, the outcome could be fatal.