Xavier Musketeers vs DePaul Blue Demons Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Xavier Musketeers vs DePaul Blue Demons

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

The DePaul Blue Demons (8-6) will go up against the Xavier Musketeers (9-5) at Wintrust Arena on Saturday.

The Xavier Musketeers faced Connecticut and took a loss by a final of 90-67 in their last game. Xavier finished the game with a 42.9% FG percentage (24 out of 56) and knocked down 4 of their 18 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Musketeers converted 15 of 22 shots for a percentage of 68.2%. In reference to grabbing boards, they collected a total of 25 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 18 assists for the contest in addition to creating 13 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In regard to defense, Xavier allowed the other team to go 53.2% from the field on 33 out of 62 shooting. Connecticut distributed 26 assists and had 8 steals for the game. Moreover, Connecticut totaled 40 rebounds (9 offensive, 31 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Connecticut finished the contest at 78.6% at the charity stripe by converting 11 of their 14 attempts. They made 13 of their 28 attempts from 3-point range. In relation to fouls, the Musketeers finished with 16 while Connecticut accounted for 19 fouls.

Malik Moore is a player who played a role for this game. He finished the game at 50.0% from the floor and recorded 4 assists. He played for 36 minutes but did not grab any boards. He was able to score 16 points on 5 out of 10 shooting.

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Xavier will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 9-5 this year. They turn the ball over 9.7 times per game and as a team are committing 17.1 fouls per game. As a team, Xavier is pulling down 35.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 260 assists this season, which is 17th in the country in terms of passing. The Musketeers are connecting on 35.3% on shots from downtown (133 of 377) and 67.8% from the free throw line. They average 76.1 points per contest (217th in Division 1) while hitting 42.4% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Musketeers are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game and they draw 17.0 personal fouls. They relinquish 34.4% on 3-point shots and they rank 227th in the country in points per game allowed (75.1). The Musketeers are giving up a shooting percentage of 46.7% (386 of 826) and they concede 38.2 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 357th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 255 surrendered for the season.

The last time they took the court, the DePaul Blue Demons took a loss by a final score of 71-66 when they played Villanova. In regard to how they cleaned up the glass, DePaul allowed Villanova to snag 33 overall (12 on the offensive side). They finished 43.5% from 3-point land by going 10 of 23 and finished the game at 21 out of 31 from the free throw line (67.7%). The Blue Demons allowed Villanova to knock down 20 of 58 tries from the field which had them shooting 34.5% in this matchup. In all, the Blue Demons finished 27 out of 60 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.0%. Pertaining to 3-point attempts, DePaul converted 5 of their 19 tries (26.3%). They were able to convert 7 of the free throw tries for a clip of 58.3%. Villanova had 14 fouls for the contest which got the Blue Demons to the free throw line for a total of 12 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 14 times, while getting 2 steals in this matchup. The Blue Demons earned 30 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 for the contest.

CJ Gunn ended up being a factor for the Blue Demons for this game. He converted 6 of 12 for the game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and accumulated 7 rebounds. He had 15 points in his 30 minutes on the court and had 2 dimes for the game.

DePaul has a win-loss record of 8-6 so far this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Blue Demons are hitting on 44.7% from the floor, which is 232nd in the country. DePaul has accounted for 1,037 pts on the year (74.1 per game) and they pull in 34.1 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 16.0 times per contest (101st in the country) and they turn the ball over 12.1 times per game. The Blue Demons commit 18.6 fouls per contest and they hit 68.9% from the charity stripe.

The DePaul defense surrenders 34.5% on 3-pointers (89 of 258) and their opposition makes 70.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 13.3 dimes and 35.2 boards per contest, which ranks them 183rd and 223rd in Division 1. The Blue Demons on defense are ranked 91st in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 69.1. They are able to force 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.1% from the floor (114th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take DePaul

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