Depaul Basketball Rematch With Creighton Tests Two Inconsistent Big East Teams
depaul basketball and Creighton meet again after a 72-71 DePaul victory on February 11, with both clubs jockeying for position as the regular season winds toward conference tournaments. The matchup matters now because oddsmakers have set Creighton as a 4. 5-point favorite and placed the game total at 142. 5, figures that reflect contrasting offensive and defensive profiles between the teams.
Depaul Basketball: CJ Gunn, N. J. Benson and defensive strengths
DePaul carries a 14-13 overall record and a 6-10 mark in Big East play. Offensively the Blue Demons average 71. 5 points per game and sit near the bottom of Division I in several shooting categories, ranking 286th in scoring and 261st in three-point percentage. Individual production, however, supplies a clearer picture: CJ Gunn paces the roster with 14. 0 points, 3. 7 rebounds and 2. 0 assists per game, while Layden Blocker averages 11. 5 points and 3. 6 assists. N. J. Benson offers 11. 2 points and a team-high 7. 3 rebounds.
Defensively, DePaul presents a noticeable edge. Opponents score just 69. 8 points per game against the Blue Demons, a mark that places DePaul 73rd nationally in that metric, and the program posts an 85th-ranked defensive rating. Those numbers have translated into betting results: DePaul is 16-11 against the spread this season, and 18 of its 27 games have gone under the total.
What makes this notable is that DePaul combines below-average offensive efficiency with a defense that can keep games low-scoring, creating a matchup dynamic in which the Blue Demons can hang with more explosive opponents by forcing fewer possessions and limiting opponent shooting efficiency.
Creighton Bluejays: recent skid, scoring and lineup contributors
Creighton arrives with a 14-14 overall record and 8-9 in conference play, having dropped six of its last eight games. The Bluejays were routed 81-52 in their most recent outing. Creighton averages 75. 7 points per game, a middle-of-the-pack figure, and ranks 175th in offensive rating and 138th in three-point percentage while attempting the 32nd-most three-pointers nationally.
Leading scorers include Josh Dix at 12. 1 points, Austin Swartz at 10. 9, and both Jasen Green and Nik Graves at roughly 10. 1 points per contest. Green leads the club with 5. 6 rebounds while Graves tops the assist chart with 3. 4 per game. Despite those contributors, Creighton's defensive profile is weaker: opponents average 75. 7 points against the Bluejays, and the team ranks 270th in defensive rating.
DraftKings Sportsbook odds and matchup implications
Bookmakers have priced Creighton as the 4. 5-point favorite with a -205 moneyline, while DePaul is listed at +170 on the moneyline and the total is 142. 5. Those lines reflect a combination of Creighton’s marginally higher scoring average and DePaul’s stronger defensive numbers. Creighton’s 9-19 record against the spread contrasts with DePaul’s 16-11 ATS mark, underscoring how results have diverged from public expectations.
The immediate effect of these metrics is straightforward: oddsmakers and bettors must weigh a Creighton offense that attempts many threes and scores more points on average against a DePaul unit that tends to keep opponents under 70 points. If DePaul’s defense remains efficient and its shots fall at the usual clip, the under and an upset become plausible outcomes; conversely, if Creighton breaks its recent slide and converts its perimeter volume into accuracy, the line could prove conservative.
Coaching adjustments and in-game execution will determine whether the February 11 one-point result was an anomaly or the start of a season-long split between these conference rivals. With the regular season nearing its conclusion and tournament seeding at stake, both teams have tangible incentives to alter momentum in the days ahead.
