DePaul ganged up on a streak of easy opponents for a four-game winning streak, but the cupcakes are history. After losing to undefeated Little Rock on Saturday, the Blue Demons are on the west coast Tuesday to face Stanford.
What you should know about Stanford (4-3, No. 113 KenPom):
The Cardinal is having a down year after losing its three best players. Nonetheless, it will be a sizable favorite at home.
Stanford is 4-3 and winners of its last two games over Dartmouth and Arkansas. The team hit a three-game losing streak in November, but all three defeats were against respectable opponents: Villanova, SMU and Saint Mary’s.
Ranked No. 113 in KenPom, Stanford is DePaul’s weakest opponent until Feb. 17, when the Blue Demons face St. John’s (No. 166).
The Cardinal has four players with double-digit scoring averages, led by junior guard Marcus Allen with 13.6 points per game. The rest of the team’s balanced offensive attack comes from senior forward Rosco Allen (13.4 ppg), sophomore forward Reid Travis (12.9 ppg), sophomore guard Dorian Pickens (10.0 ppg) and sophomore forward Michael Humphrey (8.6 ppg).
Stanford shoots the more foul shots per attempted field-goals than anyone else in college basketball with a 56.2 percent free-throw rate. The Cardinal has taken at least 28 trips to the foul line in all but one game, its loss to Saint Mary’s. (Stanford attempted only nine free throws that night.)
The Cardinal also rebounds 37.6 percent of its misses for the 28th-best offensive rebounding rate in the nation.
What you should know about DePaul (5-4 No. 164 KenPom):
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The all-time series with Stanford is tied 2-2 after the Blue Demons upset the Cardinal last fall at Allstate Arena.
Entering the season, DePaul had a pair of known scorers in junior guard Billy Garrett Jr. (14.1 ppg) and senior forward Myke Henry (13.2 ppg). While those two are the team’s top offensive producers along with junior forward Tommy Hamilton IV (10.8 ppg), freshman Eli Cain has recently emerged as another weapon.
Cain is averaging 14 points this month, heightening his season average to 9.4 points per game. Like Garrett and Henry, he’s another player who can slash to the rim and create his own shot.
There are a few storylines regarding Garrett to watch for in upcoming games. He needs to make one more free throw to move into sole possession of ninth on DePaul’s all-time list. Garrett also needs six assists to tie Terry Davis (’93) for No. 24 on that program record list.
How to watch, listen, stream and bet:
Start time: 9 p.m. CT
TV: Fox Sports 1
App/Online: Fox Sports Go
Online: BlueTube
Radio: WSCR 670 AM
Line: Stanford -7.5
Sagarin: Stanford -8.5
KenPom: Stanford 72, DePaul 65 (76%)
