Marquette vs DePaul Odds, Pick for Wednesday

You know a team is in a rough spot when it's a 17.5-point home underdog in conference play. That's the case for the DePaul Blue Demons against the Marquette Golden Eagles on Wednesday night.

So, what's the best way to bet this uneven conference matchup?

Find my Marquette vs. DePaul pick and college basketball betting guide for Wednesday, January 24th below.

After losing consecutive games in concerning fashion, Marquette got back in the win column against Villanova and St John's last week. It really comes down to getting back to the basics of great offense for the Golden Eagles. Last year, the Golden Eagles' pick-and-roll attack dominated opposing teams. It hasn't produced the same results so far this year, so Marquette's offense sits at 37th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency.

Guards Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones are shooting the ball worse from deep this year. The team, in general, is shooting the ball worse, connecting on 33% of 3s. Kolek is shooting 34% from beyond the arc, down from 39%, and Jones is down from 36% to 34%. Once the offense gets into a consistent flow, the shots will fall eventually.

There's also no better "get right" formula than facing the lousy DePaul defense.

While the offense is struggling, Marquette is playing suffocating defense. The Golden Eagles rank 10th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, fitting the DNA of old-school Shaka Smart. He brought back some toughness in Milwaukee, and it's kept Marquette afloat.

Freshman Zaide Lowery is also another name worth watching as he has scored five or more points in the past three games. He didn't play much early on, but his offensive firepower makes Smart play him more often.

Marquette is still a really good team, and once the offense gets rolling, it is among the best in the Big East.

DePaul finally pulled the plug on the Tony Stubblefield era this week, and it'll be the first game coached by interim head coach Matt Brady. Something had to happen because DePaul looked entirely disinterested in playing basketball after losing its last six games by an average of 22.5 points.

Sure, I could hear an argument about DePaul's talent level being below par compared to other conference teams, like Marquette. That's very true, but a Big East team shouldn't have this little talent. That's an indictment on the coaching staff's lack of recruiting chops and inability to diagnose talent.

However, the larger concern is how little effort the team shows. It's truly a complete embarrassment and stain on the Big East conference in general. DePaul wouldn't even rank in the top half of the Horizon League — KenPom has eight of the 11 Horizon League teams ranked high than DePaul at 280th!

The Blue Demons are genuinely awful as they enter the game at 3-15 and 0-7 in Big East play. Their only three wins of the year came against South Dakota, Louisville and Chicago State. The Demons rank 263rd in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 272nd in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, which are both unacceptable for a Big East program.

The team relies on Chico Carter (11.8 points) and Da'Sean Nelson (11.2 points) to patrol the offense. Both are experienced players who haven't led previous teams in scoring before, which is a byproduct of how unimpressive this team is.

I am begrudgingly laying nearly 20 points on the road in the Big East. I'd typically smash the home team here, but DePaul is truly terrible, and I could see Marquette taking an early lead and never relenting.

The Golden Eagles could use a confidence booster, and stomping on the throat of DePaul could be the boost the team needs.

Pick: Marquette -17.5 (Play to -18.5)