DePaul Blue Demons guard CJ Gunn (11) shoots the ball. Eric Canha-Imagn Images Georgetown and DePaul are set to close out day one action of the 2026 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
This matchup between the 6 and 11 seed will serve as the nightcap, with tipoff between the Hoyas and Blue Demons set for 9 p.m. ET at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
The irony here is that these teams faced off in the first round of this tournament last season, with DePaul winning 71-67.
That’ll explain why the line for this game is so close, with DePaul installed as short 1.5-point favorites with a projected Over/Under of 136.5 total points.
Ed Cooley’s Hoyas finished 6-14 in Big East play, tied with Xavier for last place in the standings.
Their last time playing in the Garden on Mar. 3, they gave St. John’s a late-season scare on senior night, covering a massive 16.5-point spread the Johnnies were favored by.
On the other hand, they’ve been on the bad side of multiple losing streaks of six and seven games in conference play.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The Hoyas enter Wednesday with their adjusted offensive (114.8) and defensive efficiency (104.9) both ranking 88th nationally, per Torvik rankings.
Georgetown tends to come out of the gates hot in the first half of games, but they noticeably cooled off in the second.
Starting guard Malik Mack has shouldered most playmaking duties with leading scorer KJ Lewis sidelined for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
The absence of Lewis could be vital as points are hard to come by against this Blue Demons group. The metrics confirm they have a top-40 defense, ranked 38th (KenPom) and 34th (Torvik).
Blue Demons perimeter defender Layden Blocker will likely draw the assignment of Mack, entering tonight, he averages 1.6 steals per game.
I like DePaul to wear down Georgetown, given the Hoyas are 6-14 against the second-half spread over their last 20 games.
Their stifling paint defense, combined with a slow offensive tempo, tends to drain opponents’ energy, particularly in the second half of games.
The Blue Demons are also 5-0 ATS in their last five Big East Tournament games.
The Plays: DePaul moneyline (-118, BetMGM) | Georgetown Under 36.5 2nd Half Total Points (-115, FanDuel)
Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
