It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Northern Illinois-DePaul prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Northern Illinois-DePaul.
There are some nonconference games involving Midwestern teams this week in college basketball, with this one having a distinctly lower profile. Nevertheless, it’s a chance for DePaul to continue its turnaround under new head coach Chris Holtmann.
It was a surprise to many that Holtmann did not have a hugely successful tenure at Ohio State. Holtmanm had succeeded in the Big East at Butler, guiding the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 and generally showing that he was a worthy successor to Brad Stevens, the coach who led Butler to back-to-back national championship games several years earlier. Holtmann’s prosperous tenure at Butler made him a rock-star-level candidate for Ohio State. When the Buckeyes hired him, it seemed OSU was going to continue to thrive.
In 2021, Ohio State gained a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and was a contender to reach the Final Four. Everything seemed possible and attainable for Holtmann and the Buckeyes back then, but a loss to 15th-seeded Oral Roberts became the crushing March Madness blow from which Holtmann and Ohio State never recovered. The Buckeyes never got as good a chance to make noise in March under Holtmann. The program steadily regressed, and last year, Holtmann realized he was at the end of the line in Columbus. He found his landing spot at DePaul, a program with lower expectations and pressure and which would not insist on an immediate fix. Holtmann could take at least three years if not four or five trying to restore DePaul basketball, a program which once had a juggernaut identity under legendary coach Ray Meyer over 40 years ago. Holtmann would get job security in exchange for taking on the task of succeeding at a place where numerous coaches have failed over the past 30 years. It will be fascinating to see how Holtmann responds.
In the first few weeks of his run at DePaul, Holtmann is delivering solid results. DePaul has not played strong high-end opponents, so no one should be overreacting to each individual Blue Demon game, but the team is winning games, often by convincing margins. It isn’t proof of a turnaround, but it does show clear-cut improvement, which is really all Holtmann can ask for at this point. We have yet to see DePaul take down big-time opponents, but it does seem that the Blue Demons are on the way up.
Here are the Northern Illinois-DePaul College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Northern Illinois-DePaul Odds
Northern Illinois: +18.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +1280
DePaul: -18.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -4000
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
How to Watch Northern Illinois vs DePaul
Time: 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
TV: FS2
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Northern Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win
If DePaul is fully back as a program, it might cover the huge spread here, but can we say for sure that DePaul really is back? The Blue Demons have beaten a series of cupcake-quality opponents. We’re not sure DePaul deserves to be favored by 18.5 points just yet.
Why DePaul Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Northern Illinois Huskies have a losing record. They just lost by 27 at home to Elon. They lost by 16 to Bradley. They lost by double digits to Georgia Southern. DePaul can definitely beat NIU by 20 or more points.
Final Northern Illinois-DePaul Prediction & Pick
DePaul looks good against bad teams. NIU is a bad team. We’re willing to ride with DePaul minus the points.
Final Northern Illinois-DePaul Prediction & Pick: DePaul -18.5
The post Northern Illinois vs DePaul prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
