DePaul v. Providence: Big East Tournament

Written March 11, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz

depaul-providence The Blue Demons went 0-18 in conference play during the regular season. An absolutely horrifying year for DePaul as the Big East supplied the stiffest competition perhaps any conference has ever seen, DePaul was a non-factor from the get go. So it is just about right that yesterday Cincinnati who’s on the bubble loses by 10 to the Demons. As weird a game as can be I suppose. With that said, the biggest losers in the DePaul win over Cincinnati was actually a team who was not in action yesterday….The Providence Friars. The Friars who are on the bubble now will gain nothing by beating an awful Blue Demons team and lose everything by getting beat by The Big East’s worst team. Besides yesterdays upset of the Bearcats Depaul’s best win all year was against UIC by a narrow four point margin. DePaul does have a superb talent in Dar Tucker and a nice productive role player in Mac Koshwal. Their defense is very poor giving up 72 PPG and they have a lack of a size that shows very clearly in just about every game they have played. DePaul did catch one break playing the Friars though, while DePaul’s points against are poor, Providence is worse giving up 76 PPG. I believe DePaul will be able to score against Providence, the question is, will their defense show up two games in a row when it hasn’t all year? You can bet DePaul -9.5 at Sports Interaction using your checking account!

Many people believe that Providence is not getting the credit they deserve. They say that beating Pittsburgh, Syracuse and sweeping the home and away with Cincinnati is more then enough to earn an NCAA bid not to mention they have a 10-8 conference record. I would argue the contrary. They have an 18-12 record with bad losses to Baylor by 16 points and an awful resume loss to Northeastern at home. The Friars are 4-6 in their last 10 games which they have showed some horrific defense. With all those negatives pointed out, Providence supplies some outstanding offense with several explosive scorers that can catch fire at any time. They are led by stud guard Weyinmi Efejuku, a prolific exciting player who shoots 47% from the field and has ice in his veins when the game is on the line. They also have two other guards in Marshon Brooks and Sharaud Curry who both are offensive weapons with Curry being the fuel that makes this team run. Providence must step on that court with a full head of steam. If they are focused on the idea that this game will not help them a bit no matter what the result is they will find themselves on the losing end tomorrow. You can bet Providence -9.5 at BetUS and get a $500 bonus on your initial deposit of $500!

Prediction

This game is very tricky. A lot of different possible outcomes in turn of who will cover the point spread occur in my mind. The possibility of Depaul stunning the Friars who can be deflated by this game helping them out in no way can happen. If Providence came out and pounded Depaul due to the fact they have superior athlete’s and they are on bubble alert I wouldn’t be surprised one bit.. What I do see is two teams that both give up 72+ PPG. I also see two teams in which their best players are all guards that prefer high tempo offense. Providence hasn’t scored less then 70 points in a month and have topped 80 points three of their last six games. Depaul while not that explosive has players who can stroke it and will play to Providence’s speed. Expect nothing short of a shootout with tons of shots being taken and tons of easy baskets being scored. I expect this game to reach 144 points rather easily. Depaul are 13-11-1 O/U this year while Providence is 14-11-1 O/U this year. Follow both teams record and believe the numbers in this one. A high scoring game with fouling at the end the solidify the OVER as your bet.

Final Regular Season Records

Depaul 9-23
Providence 18-12

Bookmaker Betting Line: Depaul vs Providence O/U 144

Jordan’s Pick: OVER 144

Final Score Prediction:

Providence 83
Depaul 75

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