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February 8 Sheet

Charlotte at Depaul (-3) - Game 705-706 - 9:00am Pacific
Former UConn assistant coach Dave Leitao has transformed the attitude of this Depaul team. Past years of underachievement and disappointment have turned into respectability. The Blue Demons have already surpassed last seasons C-USA win total (2) with three wins thus far. They showed their new good vibes early on by starting the season 4-0 with an average victory margin of 21.75. In the past they would struggle with lesser opponents. They went on to almost win at St. Joseph's (loss by 3 after leading most of the game) and trailed by just 1 in road game at Cincinnati. DePaul is 10-1 at home with only loss coming in non-conference game by 5 points to UNLV. They beat Cincinnati nicely here in last home game.

The teams leading returning scorer, junior forward Andre Brown, missed the entire preseason and the season opening game due to injury. He has basically played himself back into game shape and is just now rounding into form. Brown (9.3rpg in C-USA play) is one of the better rebounders in the nation and is a big reason why Depaul leads C-USA in rebounding margin (+6.7). Senior F/C Sam Hoskin (dropped 40 pounds in offseason) is having a strong year with a team high 13.4ppg & 6.5rpg. Very athletic JC transfer Delonte Holland has broken out of a midseason slump to average 19ppg in last two games. Sophomore Quemont Greer (9.1ppg, 4.1rpg) is yet another athletic frontcourt player. At guard sophomore Drake Diener (hit game winner vs Cinci) is very steady. Senior Joe Tulley is an accomplished 3-point shooter. Former Kansas transfer Marlon London provides quality depth.

Depaul has played tremendous defense all season long. They currently rank 27th in the nation in scoring defense giving up just 62.3ppg. Opponents are shooting just .399 from the field.

Charlotte comes in losing eight of their last eleven games. This will be their third road game in seven days and they have been horrible on the road this season. 49ers are 1-7 in true road games heading into this game. Losses include at Appalachian State, at Davidson, and most recently by 14 at Valparaiso (RPI rank #97) on Tuesday. Charlotte trailed by 19 at half-time and never got within 8 in the 2nd half. Prior to that they blew a 13 point half-time lead at South Florida. Right now Charlotte is relying heavily on point guard Demon Brown's 3-point shooting. Brown is averaging 14.5 3-point attempts per game in his last seven games and has converted on 43% of them. However, his 1.7 assists per game leaves teammates standing and watching him far too often. The 49ers are best offensively when they can get out and run and have a free flowing offense. I fully expect them to struggle vs Depaul's tough halfcourt set defense. Charlotte comes into the game struggling offensively as it is, shooting .379, .351, and .340 from the field in last three games.

Following Depaul's big home win over Cincinnati, somewhat of a letdown was to be expected and they lost at St. Louis by 7 in their next game. They have had a full week off since then to rest and prepare for this game. They have defended their home court well all season (10-1 overall, 3-0 vs C-USA opponents) and will be looking to avenge two lopsided losses vs Charlotte last year. This years team has a renewed spirit and carries much more positives than Charlotte heading into this game. At 11-7 overall, 3-4 in conference, Depaul is well within reach of a postseason NIT birth which would be a great accomplishment given last years record. Give the small number.

Depaul  1 UNIT

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