Sport: College HoopsPick Selection: Mississippi vs. DePaul: DePaul
I'm taking the points with DEPAUL. Ole Miss brings a perfect record into this afternoon's game. While that's certainly impressive, a closer look shows that they haven't played any real tough opponents yet and that they've also played only one game away from home. Additionally, their last three victories all came by single-digits. This line is a bit higher than it normally would have been due to the fact that the Blue Demons were upset here by Illinois-Chicago in their last game and because they have lost three straight. Considering the devastating loss they were coming off, it's not such a shock that they came up flat against the Flames though and the other two losses were nothing to be ashamed of. You may recall the game that I'm referring to as the Blue Demons blew an 18 point second half lead against Vanderbilt, eventually losing in overtime. Prior to that, they had faced Kansas on the road. Therefore, they're certainly not going to be intimidated by the Rebels on a neutral court. The Rebels have padded their offensive stats with their relatively soft schedule and come in averaging a whopping 89 points per game. The Blue Demons have fared well against high-scoring teams that past couple of seasons though as we find them at 9-4 SU/AST the last 13 times they faced an opponent which averages 77 or more points. Although their numbers aren't quite as high, make no mistake, the Blue Demons are also highly capable of scoring. Indeed, led by Draelon Burns' 18.7 per game, they Blue Demons have four players averaging double-digits in scoring. Note that those four (Burns, Tucker, Koshwal and Clarke) players also combine for a healthy 24.2 rebounds per game. DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright had to say: ?There is nobody who is going to help us get out of this except ourselves...The best times in life are when you regroup and overcome adversity." I expect the change of scenerly (trip to Peurto Rico) to be "just what the Doctor ordered" for the Blue Demons and won't be at all surprised when they score the outright win.
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