DePaul vs. Oklahoma State Odds
| DePaul Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -104 | 136.5 -110o / -110u | +184 |
| Oklahoma State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -118 | 136.5 -110o / -110u | -225 |
Oklahoma State and DePaul will meet in the consolation game of the Bahamas Championship after disappointing results on Friday night.
DePaul is coming off of a 69-61 defeat to Santa Clara. The Demons shot just 19% from beyond the arc. This poor shooting performance from distance is important to note as DePaul is averaging 25 3PA per game.
Oklahoma State is coming off of a crushing OT defeat to UCF. The Cowboys led 34-19 with just over 16 minutes to play before allowing UCF to come back and steal the victory. The Cowboys amassed a 15-point lead despite making just 2-of-20 3-point attempts on the night.
Both of these teams are coming off of 15-win seasons in 2021-22. Even though this is a consolation game, both of these teams will look at Sunday afternoon as an opportunity to build momentum.
Will DePaul finally see some shooting progression? And how will Oklahoma State bounce back after a deflating OT loss?
Let's dive in.
DePaul Blue Demons
Tony Stubblefield comes into his second year as the head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons with his work cut out for him.
Before last season, the Demons finished last in the Big East for seven consecutive years. Although DePaul only finished above Georgetown last season, this progression is significant for a team that had just 10 available scholarship athletes last season.
Stubblefield will look to continue DePaul's progression after a healthy amount of returnees came back to the program in 2022-23. The Demons rank 21st in the country in experience, averaging 2.94 years across their roster.
So far this season, the Demons have been led by 6-foot-6 senior forward Javan Johnson. Johnson had a coming about party in the Demons' third game against Minnesota, going for 20 points and seven boards.
Johnson's ability to attack opposing defenses inside opens everything up for a DePaul offense that hasn't seen its shots fall from 3 so far this season.
DePaul is shooting 52% from the paint this year, which grows to over 71% on shots directly at the rim.
Unfortunately for the Demons, Oklahoma State has been lights out on the defensive interior.
The Cowboys rank 33rd in the country in opponent 2P%, allowing just 40.6% on shots inside the 3-point line.
Additionally, Oklahoma State has some of the best rim protection in the country, ranking 12th nationally in block% at 18.2%.
To make matters worse for DePaul, 6-foot-10 senior center Yor Anei missed last game against Santa Clara with a foot injury and is likely to miss Sunday's contest vs. Oklahoma State.
For DePaul to find success on Sunday night, it will need to overcome this significant mismatch in the paint.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State has to be shaken up after wasting a 24-7 opening margin against UCF, before eventually losing in overtime.
Although the loss may be tough to swallow, the Cowboys can take a lot of positives from their performance against UCF.
The Cowboys had three players finish in double figures, most notably center Moussa Cisse.
Cisse is a 7-foot-1 junior who will have a significant advantage on the interior against a DePaul team that's depleted by injuries.
Bryce Thompson ➡️ Moussa Cisse 🔥
Oklahoma St. leads No. 10 Baylor going into the second half! pic.twitter.com/tLZ7h2hhiK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 22, 2022
So far this season, the Cowboys have had an effective offense due in large part to Cisse's success inside. The Cowboys rank 71st in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency at 106.0. This efficiency is defined by an offensive rebound percentage of 32.2%.
Look for the Cowboys to take advantage of Cisse's mismatch on the inside early and often on Sunday afternoon.
DePaul vs. Oklahoma State Betting Pick
Although both of these teams are coming off of defeats on Friday night, they're in very different places.
DePaul is looking to get healthy before its season ramps up. The Demons are down three key players in guard Caleb Murphy, Anei and center Nick Ongenda. The absence of these key contributors was apparent on Friday night.
On the other side of the floor, Oklahoma State has a lot of positives to take away from an OT loss to UCF. The Cowboys won the rebounding and turnover battle against UCF and will look to continue these positives on Sunday night.
At the time of writing, KenPom predicts a 72-67 victory for Oklahoma State. I believe there's value on the Cowboys up to -8.5, given their significant advantage inside and overall defense.
Pick: Oklahoma State -5 (Play to -8.5) |
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