College basketball picks: DePaul-UConn prediction, odds, spread for March 1

The No. 14 UConn Huskies will return home for a matchup with the DePaul Blue Demons on Wednesday night from XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The game will get started at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBSSN.

My college hoops picks went 12-6-1 against the spread over the past week. Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

DePaul vs. UConn odds

Spread: UConn -17.5
Over/Under: 147
Moneyline: UConn -2100, DePaul +1000

DePaul (9-20, 3-15 Big East) will bring a 10-game losing streak into Wednesday night's contest coming off a 90-84 road loss to the Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday. Umoja Gibson scored a team-high 20 points, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from long range with eight assists. Yor Anei missed the last three matchups with a hamstring injury, and he's a game-time decision. The Blue Demons rate 145th overall, including 136th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 176th defensively.

UConn (22-7, 22-7 Big East) will look to extend its winning streak to four games after taking down the St. John's Red Storm 95-86 on Saturday. Jordan Hawkins led the Huskies in scoring with 20 points on 4-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Hassan Diarra missed the game with an abdominal strain and is a game-time decision heading into this contest. The Huskies rate fifth overall in KenPom with an offense that rates seventh in adjusted efficiency and 21st on the defensive end.

The Pick: UConn -17.5

It feels dangerous taking a team to cover this high of a number in a conference game if the Huskies go all out for 40 minutes, they're far more than 17.5 points better than the Blue Demons. The trends heavily favor UConn, which covered at a 11-5-1 rate against the spread in its last 17 home contests, while DePaul is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 road matchups. The Huskies will jump all over DePaul early and hang on to cover this spread.

  
Read Full Article