The DePaul Blue Demons (9-22, 3-17) and Seton Hall Pirates (17-14, 10-10) meet Wednesday in a 1st-round matchup in the Big East Tournament. Tip from Madison Square Garden in New York is at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the DePaul vs. Seton Hall odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
DePaul ended the regular season on a 12-game losing streak, while failing to cover in 6 of the last 7 games and 10 of the 12. That includes a 69-64 loss at Seton Hall on Feb. 5, although it did grab a rare cover as a 10-point underdog as the Under cashed. In fact, the Blue Demons were 2-0 ATS with a pair of Under results with SHU this season.
Seton Hall snapped a 3-game skid with an 82-58 rout at Providence in the regular-season finale as an 8-point underdog to enter NYC with a little momentum. The Over cashed in the final 3 games for the Pirates, too.
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DePaul vs. Seton Hall odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:01 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Off the board (OTB)
- Against the spread: DePaul +5.5 (-105) | Seton Hall -5.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 138.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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DePaul vs. Seton Hall picks and predictions
Prediction
Seton Hall 72, DePaul 63
Moneyline
The moneyline was OTB at the time of publishing. Seton Hall would likely be a little on the expensive side for a standalone bet, or a little too much risk for not enough reward.
AVOID, and focus on the spread instead.
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Against the spread
The play is on SETON HALL -5.5 (-115).
The Pirates were much better down the stretch. Heck, even though Seton Hall won just 4 of its final 9 games, it didn’t end on a 12-game skid. That’s what DePaul +5.5 (-105) did, fumbling its way to near the Big East basement.
While the Blue Demons did manage to cover in the 2 regular-season meetings with the Pirates, DePaul won’t be as fortunate here. It will be a pro-Pirates crowd, with throngs of fans coming over from Jersey City to spur Seton Hall to a win and cover in this 1st-round matchup.
Over/Under
UNDER 138.5 (-115) is a strong play in this opening-round battle.
The Under cashed in each of the regular-season matchups, and the total has gone low in 6 of the previous 7 head-to-head battles overall.
The Pirates have cashed the Over in 3 straight, so there is a little bit of risk here, but the Blue Demons were one of the worst defensive teams in the nation with 77.3 PPG allowed. However, we should still see this game come in just under the wire.
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