Providence Friars vs DePaul Blue Demons Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Providence Friars vs DePaul Blue Demons

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

Wintrust Arena is the site where the DePaul Blue Demons (14-12) will take on the Providence Friars (11-15) on Saturday.

The Providence Friars stepped onto the hardwood against St. John's and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 79-69 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Friars left the arena with 21 while St. John's recorded 18 fouls. They also converted 6 out of their 21 tries from beyond the perimeter. St. John's shot 70.0% when shooting free throws by burying 21 of their 30 tries. Furthermore, St. John's pulled down 36 rebounds (9 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't have a block. St. John's dished out 13 dimes and had 11 steals for the game. In the matter of defense, Providence allowed 38.2% from the field on 26 out of 68 shooting. They also doled out 8 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 4 turnovers and getting 3 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 40 with 14 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Friars made 20 of their 24 tries for a rate of 83.3%. Providence wrapped up the game having earned a 33.3% field goal percentage (22 out of 66) and converted 5 out of their 23 3-point attempts.

Stefan Vaaks is a player who was a contributor in the game. He finished shooting 26.3% from the floor and recorded 3 assists. He played for 34 minutes and also snagged 5 rebounds. He left the arena with 20 points on 5 out of 19 shooting.

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Providence will enter this matchup with a mark of 11-15 so far this year. They are averaging 87.4 points per game (14th in D-1) while hitting 47.6% from the floor. The Friars are connecting on 35.2% on shots from downtown (237 of 674) and 76.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Providence is pulling in 39.3 boards per contest and has racked up 385 assists for the campaign, which ranks 154th in the nation in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 12.2 times per game and as a unit they are committing 19.3 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Friars are able to force 9.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They are giving up 36.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 360th in D-1 in PPG allowed (85.4). The Friars are giving up a FG percentage of 44.4% (773 of 1,741) and they relinquish 36.1 boards per game as a unit. They are 331st in college in allowing assists with 426 conceded on the year.

When they last played, the DePaul Blue Demons got the victory with a final of 69-57 when they faced Seton Hall. Regarding rebounding, DePaul allowed Seton Hall to pull down 21 in all (3 offensive). They finished the game shooting 40.0% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 4 of 10 and finished the contest at 11 out of 15 at the free throw line (73.3%). The Blue Demons allowed Seton Hall to convert 21 of 45 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.7% for the contest. Overall, the Blue Demons shot 22 for 53 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.5%. With respect to 3-point shots, DePaul knocked down 6 out of their 21 attempts (28.6%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throws for a rate of 73.1%. Seton Hall earned 15 fouls for this contest which got the Blue Demons to the charity stripe for 26 attempts. They gave up possession 12 times, while recording 7 steals for this game. The Blue Demons collected 19 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 31 for the game.

N.J. Benson ended up being a factor for the Blue Demons in this game. He earned 21 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood and earned 1 assist for the contest. He converted 8 of 9 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 88.9%, and tallied 8 rebounds.

DePaul has a mark of 14-12 this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Blue Demons are shooting 44.3% from the floor, which is 244th in the country. DePaul has accounted for 1,862 points this year (71.6 per game) and they pull in 33.4 rebounds per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.2 times per contest (106th in the country) and they cough up possession 12.1 times per contest. The Blue Demons commit 18.2 fouls per game and they connect on 69.9% from the charity stripe.

The Blue Demons defensively are ranked 77th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 69.7. They are forcing their opponents into 12.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 43.3% from the field (132nd in college hoops). The DePaul defense allows 36.1% on shots from 3-point land (175 of 485) and opponents are connecting on 71.1% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 13.8 dimes and 33.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 218th and 124th in the country.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Providence

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