NCAAB odds, pick: DePaul vs. Marquette preview for Wednesday, Feb. 21

DePaul vs. Marquette Odds

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 9 p.m. ET, FS1

Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAB odds here.

DePaul Blue Demons

The Blue Demons are in the midst of one of the worst high-major seasons in the last century. I’m not even being slightly facetious — DePaul enters play at 3-22 and 0-13 in conference play, while sandwiched between Northern Arizona and Sacred Heart at 304th in KenPom's Power Ratings.

The Sacred Heart Pioneers look like a top-three Northeast Conference team and are ranked ahead of the worst Big East team in KenPom. That tells you all you need to know about DePaul’s struggles.

The Blue Demons finally showed some signs of life on Saturday when they scored 1.08 points per possession against the Providence Friars. They still lost by 11 points, but scoring 70 points without losing by 20+ is a moral victory of sorts for the Big East’s cellar dweller.

While DePaul lacks a go-to scoring threat, Da’Sean Nelson and Elijah Fisher can both score the ball inside and out. Those are the two most talented players on the roster, so the game plan should include getting them involved early and often.

DePaul’s KenPom page is mostly red, which shows how poor the team is in most categories. DePaul's only strength is getting to the free throw line, so maybe drawing some fouls and getting quick points unguarded could bring some offensive energy on the road.

Marquette Golden Eagles

On the other end, the narrative surrounding Marquette isn’t a great one. Many now wonder if Marquette has the goods to beat top-level teams or if it can only beat up on bad teams like DePaul and Georgetown.

I have some thoughts, but Marquette deserves some backlash for not even getting off the bus against UConn on Saturday. The game looked over from the opening tip, and Tyler Kolek had nothing going against Hassan Diarra, which put Marquette’s offense in a blender.

Before Saturday’s loss, Marquette won seven consecutive games. Tyler Kolek is the offensive engine and dictates whether it’s a successful night for Shaka Smart’s offense or not. Kolek is averaging 15 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.2 dimes this season. He’ll likely lock up the Bob Cousy award for the nation’s best point guard for a second straight season.

Marquette doesn't live-or-die by perimeter jumpers, but attempting 3s on 41.7% of field goals isn’t a small number. Kam Jones and David Joplin pose the two best pure shooting options for the Golden Eagles and need to help ease the load on Kolek and Oso Ighodaro.

The part that intrigues me most about Marquette is its mixture of styles. The Golden Eagles flash some full-court pressure principles, which led Smart's VCU team to a final four a decade ago. Kolek and Ighodaro also run the pick and roll offense to perfection, which combines with their pressure to create a perfect recipe to win games in different fashions.

DePaul vs. Marquette

Betting Pick & Prediction

The natural inclination is to back the conference team receiving 26 points in a conference game. Teams rarely catch nearly 30 points in conference play, but DePaul couldn't even win the Northeast Conference as currently constructed (which is the lowest-rated conference among all 33 conferences in college basketball by KenPom).

The Blue Demons somehow only lost by 13 points to Marquette in the first meeting — in Matt Brady's first game as interim head coach. DePaul has shown more fight since Tony Stubblefield's firing, but I'm not sure it matters against a Marquette team with something to prove in this bounce-back spot following an embarrassing loss to UConn. I'll give the points here up to -27.

Pick: Marquette -26 (Play to -27)