DePaul Blue Demons vs. Northwestern Wildcats Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

Brooks Barnhizer, a senior guard at Northwestern, heads into Saturday's matchup against DePaul in Evanston, Ill., with an impressive streak of four consecutive double-doubles.

However, Barnhizer acknowledges that scoring is not always easy for him. In those situations, he relies on guidance from coach Chris Collins and focuses on his defensive efforts to get his offense going.

According to Barnhizer, "Coach does a great job reminding us that we are all confident basketball players who put in the work. So even if we miss some shots, we need to stick to our identity and play strong defense."

DePaul (8-3) is hoping for a smoother game against Northwestern (8-3) after suffering a tough 89-61 loss to St. John's on Tuesday.

The Blue Demons struggled to find their rhythm from the perimeter, attempting a season-low 20 shots from beyond the arc. They also struggled with their overall shooting, only making 39.2% of their attempts. Layden Blocker, coming off the bench, led the team with 17 points, while Conor Enright added 12.

Despite DePaul's struggles, St. John's coach Rick Pitino warns against underestimating their shooting abilities.

Pitino said, "Our staff was really worried about this game. We prepared as if it was the last game of the season and we had to win, because of how well they shoot the ball."

Northwestern has dominated the recent rivalry with DePaul, winning six of the last seven games. Last season, Collins improved his record against the Blue Demons to 6-2 with a 56-46 road victory, led by Nick Martinelli's 16 points off the bench. DePaul currently holds a 21-16 lead in the all-time series.

Martinelli, who leads Northwestern with an average of 20.4 points per game (just ahead of Barnhizer's 19.7), scored 16 points in their last game against Georgia Tech. He has scored in double figures in the past four games.

Collins praised his team's offensive abilities, saying, "We have a unique team with good players. I'm still figuring out the best way to utilize them."

PREDICTION

DePaul Blue Demons

Northwestern Wildcats

DePaul Blue Demons vs. Northwestern Wildcats Recap DEC 21TH 2024

Nick Martinelli scored 23 points and Brooks Barnhizer contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double to lead host Northwestern to an 84-64 victory against DePaul on Saturday in Evanston, Ill.

Northwestern (9-3) shot 53.1 percent compared to 37 percent for DePaul, which was led by Jacob Meyer's 18 points.

David Skogman had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Demons, who have lost three of four. Conor Enright added 12 points and CJ Gunn had 10.

Matthew Nicholson (14 points) and Jalen Leach (13) also scored in double figures for the Wildcats.

An early blitz by the Wildcats proved too much for the Blue Demons (8-4) to surmount.

Enright's layup on the first possession of the game put DePaul ahead for the only time all afternoon. Northwestern responded with a 20-0 run, capitalizing on six Blue Demons turnovers that led to seven Wildcats assists during a spurt that mixed success in transition with accuracy from long range.

Martinelli scored six points during the run while Leach chipped in five. Enright ended the surge with another layup that drew DePaul within 20-4 with 14:01 remaining in the first half. The Wildcats extended their advantage to 19 points on a Martinelli jumper at the 8:23 mark before DePaul steadied, cutting the deficit to 37-27 at the break.

DePaul climbed within eight points with 16:29 to go but didn't draw within that many again until there was 3:14 to play. Northwestern answered an 8-0 Blue Demons run midway through the second half with a 9-0 run of its own. The Wildcats ended the game on a 12-0 run.

The Blue Demons committed 18 turnovers, including 14 in the first half.

DePaul shot 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from long range. Meyer swished four treys while Enright and Skogman both made two.

Barnhizer added six assists, four steals and three blocks.

DePaul maintained a 21-17 advantage in the all-time series but the edge is fading. Saturday marked the Wildcats' third straight victory in the series and seventh victory in the past eight meetings.