Former conference foes get reacquainted Monday when South Florida hosts DePaul in the first game of the best-of-three CBI finals at 7 p.m. ET. The Blue Demons (18-15) tied for eighth in the Big East with Butler and Providence at 7-11, while the Bulls (22-13) tied for sixth in the American Athletic Conference with Tulsa at 8-10. These teams have each won three in a row and are meeting for the first time since they were both members of the Big East in 2012-13. The Bulls are favored by one in the latest DePaul vs. USF odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 151.5. Before making any DePaul vs. South Florida picks of your own, see the 2019 CBI Championship predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model for Game 1.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned over $4,000 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks. It’s also been on fire in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, calling Auburn’s huge upset of Kentucky in the Elite Eight and nailing 14 Sweet 16 teams. Anyone who has followed it is way up.

Now the model has dialed in on DePaul vs. South Florida. We can tell you it is leaning under, and it has a strong against-the-spread pick that cashes in 60 percent of simulations. That one is only available at SportsLine.

The model knows that South Florida, like DePaul, is making its first CBI appearance. The Bulls have been tough to beat in Tampa, going 17-5 on their home court, including wins over Stony Brook (82-79), Utah Valley (66-57) and Loyola Marymount (56-47) in the CBI. Under coach Brian Gregory, South Florida is 18-4 at home against non-conference opponents and the Bulls have won 15 of the last 16 versus non-conference foes.

South Florida has won the last eight meetings with the Blue Demons, the last an 83-73 triumph six years ago. Sophomore guard David Collins has stepped up his play in the CBI 2019, averaging 19.7 points, including 31 against Stony Brook. 

But just because the Bulls have dominated the series of late does not guarantee they will cover the DePaul vs. South Florida spread.

The Blue Demons have been red hot, winning five of seven, including CBI victories over Central Michigan (100-86), Longwood (97-89) and Coastal Carolina (92-87). The Blue Demons will look to exploit several statistical advantages they have over the Bulls, including points (78.6 to 71.2), field goal percentage (47.6 to 42.7) and free throw percentage (72.9 to 64.6).

DePaul is led by senior guard Max Straus, who is averaging 31.7 points during CBI play. Over the last eight games, he is averaging 28.3. Also scorching hot is sophomore Paul Reed, who is averaging 21.3 points over his last three games, including 24 against Coastal Carolina last Wednesday.

So who wins USF vs. DePaul? And which side of the spread can you bank on in 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the South Florida vs. DePaul spread to jump on Monday, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,000 on its college basketball picks, and find out.