DePaul vs. Providence 2016: Time, TV schedule, odds and more

How to watch/listen

Game Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: CBS Sports Network || Channel Finder

Radio: The Score 670 AM (DePaul) || 103.7 WEEI FM (Providence)

Streaming is unavailable for this telecast.

Gamblin' Info

Spread: The line opened at 13.5 points in favor of Providence, per OddsShark. Since then the line dropped down to 13 and 12.5 points in some locations.

Records ATS: DePaul (9-16-1) || Providence (13-14)

O/U: 141

3 things to watch

1. Desperate times in Friartown: Not too long ago, it looked like Kris Dunn, Ben Bentil and the Friars were headed for a potential Top 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

With three games left in the regular season and nothing short of a run to the BIG EAST Tournament final, a 5- or 6-seed in the Big Dance could now be their ceiling. Providence stands at 7-8 in conference and have lost five of their last six games including their last two contests against Xavier and Seton Hall, both on the road.

The Friars will return home but they have picked up only three wins at home since the turn of the calendar to 2016. Since January 30, Providence has only picked up a win against Georgetown, sweeping that season series, but have lost to every other opposition and, oh yeah: that includes DePaul, their opponent Saturday. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Friars are in damn-near must-win territory.

2. Spoilin' for a sweep: Since joining the BIG EAST Conference in the 2005-06 season, DePaul has only picked up a season sweep of opponents twice. That came last year when the Blue Demons twice defeated the Seton Hall Pirates on January 22 and February 3, 2015, and back in the 2006-07 campaign when DePaul swept South Florida.

With a win over Providence out of the way earlier this month, Dave Leitao's bunch will look to pick up their third-ever season sweep of a BIG EAST opponent on Saturday afternoon, which would be huge for the program to say the least.

3. Protecting the interior: Providence's interior defense was shot against Seton Hall as the Friars gave up almost 50 percent of 39 2-point field goal opportunities delivered to them. Meanwhile, DePaul is coming off a night in which they converted 63.9 percent of 36 2-piotn field goals including some vicious dunks against a St. John's team that was littered with big bodies.

Providence, as we know, is a very small team so if the Blue Demons implement a similar strategy against the Friars Saturday afternoon, they could be in for another long day given that the Friars don't exactly have the height that the Blue Demons possess. Kris Dunn, Ben Bentil & Co. will simply need to step up and play lock down defense at the perimeter to prevent these interior opportunities from happening.