BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DePaul @ Notre Dame

February 20, 2007


Just 12 days after Depaul survived a thrilling 67-66 decision at Allstate Arena over Notre Dame, the two teams meet again, this time in South Bend. The Irish are 8-5 in the Big East, but 6-0 at the Joyce Center. They are one-game in front of the 7-6 Blue Demons, who are 3-4 on the road in the Big East.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:


Demons are Rarin' to Go (Daily Herald)
Luke Harangody Diary: Looking to Stay Perfect at Home (NWITimes.com)
Irish Have Little Time to Enjoy Milestone (Journal Gazette)
Chandler Still Haunts the Irish (South Bend Tribune)
DePaul's Heard Makes the Grade (Chicago Tribune)
Demons Hope to Avoid the Whole Truth vs Irish (Chicago Sun-Times)


With wins over Marquette and Notre Dame last week and a road win over Soth Florida last weekend, DePaul has moved to 7-6 in the conference and up to #56 in the NCAA RPI Ratings. With three conference games left, the Blue Demons know that it will be awful hard for the selection committee to keep out a 10-6 Big East team, especially one with a good SOS rating. Getting a road win against Notre Dame would go a long way in making DePaul's case for the NCAA's alot stronger.

The Irish picked up win #20 on the season on Sunday against Cincinnati and ND puts their undefeated home record on the line tonight. The Irish play together as a team and have faith in each other to get the job done. This team has roles and they seem to accept them very well and understand what is asked of each other in those roles.

In their earlier meeting, Wilson Chandler dominated the Irish frontline to the tune of 25 pts, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Chandler is a difficult match-up for the Irish as he is longer and more athletic than any of their frontline players and has the ability to go inside and outside. The Demons also got a huge lift from Cliff Clinkscales in the 1st meeting as he helped get the DePaul offense on track by pushing the ball at the Irish. However, to win on the road, they will need Sammy Mejia and Draelon Burns to shoot better than the 7-20 they did in the first meeting.

Notre Dame got off to a quick start in the earlier meeting as Luke Harangody was a horse in the paint, but he did not get another field goal after the opening four minutes and the Irish missed free throws and did not have the 'luck of the Irish' late in the game. Notre Dame was left with a bitter feeling after seeing a late lead evaporate before their eyes and not get a whistle in the finally seconds in their favor.

DePaul is a tough match-up for the Irish, but Notre Dame should look to get consistent contributions for 6 or 7 guys. Tory Jackson and Russell Carter give the Irish a few aspects of speed and quickness and expect Harangody and Rob Kurz to be solid inside. The Irish are 6-pt favorites and should pull out the tough win tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Notre Dame 72 DePaul 67

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DePaul @ South Florida

February 17, 2007


If there ever was a team more susceptible to a trap game than DePaul, I have not seen them! The Blue Demons are coming off a pair of emotional and draining victories on their home floor as they beat Notre Dame 67-66 and Marquette 72-67. Now, they hit the road to travel all the way to South Florida to meet the Bulls, just days before their rematch with Notre Dame. With DePaul's VERY inconsistent nature, this is a very tough spot for the Blue Demons.

Adding more intrigue is the fact that the Bulls have improved in recent weeks. Sure, they are currently mired in a three-game losing streak, but in their previous homestand the Bulls earned a lopsided win over Cincinnati and upset Notre Dame, losing only a heart-breaker to Marquette. On the season, USF is 3-3 at home in conference play.

Including the USF game, DePaul has three very winnable games down the stretch as well as their rematch with Notre Dame. There is slight hope they can make things interesting on selection Sunday, but in order to do so, they have to avoid disaster in South Florida. The Bulls are deeper than they have been and do match-up pretty well with the Blue Demons. If DePaul has any thoughts of an easy trip south, they will be upset.

NBE Blogger Prediction: DePaul 65 South Florida 62

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Marquette @ DePaul

February 14, 2007



Former Conference USA rivals re-unite this evening at Allstate Arena just outside Chicago as the DePaul Blue Demons host the Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East conference match-up. TThe Blue Demons bring their 5-6 conference mark into the game against the 8-3 Golden Eagles as both teams have a lot to still play for.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this motning:

Burns Burning to Carry DePaul to the Postseason (Chicago Tribune)
Marquette a Key Foe for DePaul, Chandler (Chicago Sun-Times)
DePaul's Chandler a Work in Progress (Daily Herald)
Center Draws Spotlight (Daily Herald)
Marquette Basketball Preview (Post-Crescent)
Frigid Conditions (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Saturday was not a good day for Marquette. Wesley Mathews was struggling with illness, Jerel McNeal picked up his 3rd foul with more than 10 minutes left in the 1st half and Dominic James struggled to find his shooting touch, finishing the game 2-17. Yet, the Golden Eagles hung tough on the road before Georgetown finished the game on a 23-5 run for a 76-58 win. James and McNeal were also a bit under the weather as Tom Crean was still recovering from sickness.

Tonight, the Golden Eagles look to return to healthy at the expense of the DePaul Blue Demons. Although Marquette is ranked 12th in the country, they are 2.5-pt underdogs on the road against a sub-.500 conference foes...Hmmmmm.

Depaul has gotten a big lift of late from Draelon Burns offensively. Burns has turned in some high scoring efforts of late, averaging 21 PPG in their last three outings, two of which were DePaul wins. Wilson Chandler dominated Notre Dame last Thursday, scoring 25 pts and grabbing 14 rebounds and DePaul will need a similar effort tonight against the perimeter-strong Marquette club. This will also put Sammy Mejia in the spotlight again. Mejia will likely have Jerel McNeal assigned to him and he will need to find his offense once again. The point-guard by committee that DePaul turns to is going to have their hands full with a determined Dominic James, who wants to get back on track in a big way.

With Pittsburgh dropping a game to Louisville on Monday, Marquette sees their chances in the Big East regular season race improve, but they will have to navigate a tricky road trip to DePaul tonight in order to do so. With their three guards back to health, I see them getting their offensive touch back tonight, especially James. DePaul is a little too inconsistent for me to lean on them tonight, but they will make this game a close one, but the talented guard trip of Marquette will make the plays down the stretch and look for a timely 3-pt shot from Dan Fitzgerald when they need it to complete a late run for the win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 67 DePaul 63

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Notre Dame @ DePaul

February 8, 2007


The Big East moves focus to the Midwest tonight as Notre Dame travels to Chicago to take on DePaul. The Irish have a strong following in the Windy City and this should bring some nice energy on a cold evening in Chicago. Look for top notch efforts from both teams, something that has hardly been a consistent trait of either lately.



Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

Burns, Depaul Can't Wait for Another Shot at DePaul (Chicago Sun-Times)
What a Difference a Schedule Can Make (Daily Herald)
Irish Reserves Give Sneak Peek on Foes (Journal Gazette)
No Need to Wait His Turn (Chicago Tribune)
Will the Real Blue Demons Please Stand up (South Bend Tribune)


Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW





Notre Dame fans were jumping for joy after the Irish earned their first road win last Tuesday when they demolished Syracuse in the Dome. The Irish poured in 61 1st half points on their way to a 103-91 win and things seemed to be clicking. Then, last weekend, we saw the up and down nature of the Irish as they managed to score 63 points total in a 69-63 loss at South Florida. The Irish are 6-4 in the conference, but only have won once away from South Bend in Big East play, also losing at St. John's, Georgetown and Villanova, in addition to the Bulls.

DePaul brings a 4-6 conference record into the game tonight, however they have lost four of their last five. Three of those losses did come on the road, so coming home where they are 9-2 on the season will certainly do the Blue Demons some good.

For Depaul, the key will be their shooting. If Draelon Burns can continue his hot streak and take some pressure off Sammy Mejia, the Blue Demons will be very dangerous. They need their duo of Mejia and Wilson Chandler to be much more effecient offensively. Chandler, along with a rotation of Keith Butler, Wesley Green, Lorenzo Thompson and Marcus Heard have to play tough and strong against the Irish frontcourt of Luke Harangody, Rob Kurz, Zach Hillesland and Luke Zeller. The Irish were beaten badly on the boards in their loss to South Florida and the Blue Demons need to make their presence felt on the boards tonight.

Jabari Currie seems to be the point guard of the week for DePaul, however he is coming off a really poor game against the Syracuse zone, leading DePaul to play without a true point guard for much of the contest. The Irish utilize a pair of freshmen point guards since Kyle McAlarney's suspension with Tory Jackson getting most of the time and Jonathan Peoples backing him up. Seniors Colin Falls and Russell Carter are dangerous scorers and the athletic and strong backcourt of DePaul will have to concentrate on stopping them from getting on a roll.

Notre Dame seems to be the much more rounded team. They have several players who can hurt you offensively, especially if Rob Kurz is healthy. DePaul has seemed to rely almost exclusively on Mejia and Chandler and other teams have sold out trying to stop the talented pair. Of late, Draelon Burns have made teams pay for this tactic, but nobody else has been able to step up. They have a revolving door in the paint and at the point and Karron Clarke seems to be the invisible man far too often.

DePaul is a 2-pt home favorite tonight, you get teased often with their ability and look for them to put things together more consistently. The visit from the Irish should bring out a little more fight and a consistent effort on both ends of the floor for the entire 40 minutes. The Irish should be breathing a little fire after their loss to South Florida, but they might be running into a tough situation tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: DePaul 69 Notre Dame 66

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DePaul @ Syracuse

February 3, 2007


For Syracuse and it's fans, I truly hope for their sake Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome was rock-bottom as the Orange were thrashed by an under-manned Notre Dame team. The final of 103-91 was not indicative of how bad of a beating it was. Trailing 83-57 with under 8 minutes left, nobody was safe from the Carrier Dome wrath as the Orange cheerleaders were booed for trying to invoke a crowd cheer.

Once again, we watch to see what DePaul will do after a little bit of success. I have not seen a team look to brim with so much bravado with a little taste of success and they were looking like kings as they jetted out to a 20-pt early 2nd half lead over Connecticut. Of course, that lead was nearly short-lived as UConn cut it to 3 in the last minute, but DePaul got it done. Where will they go next?

Last season these two teams met in Chicago and it was DePaul who was embarrasing the Orange, winning 108-69, and coming off their loss to Notre Dame, I am sure that score has been brought to the attention of the Orange in preparation for the Blue Demons. I can only imagine Syracuse to come out with a renewed hunger to defend and rebound. With three seniors in their starting line-up, they are running out of time in leaving their mark on the successful Syracuse program. Each team is full of very good athletes that also get inconsistent guard play. At DePaul, things have looked up with Jabari Currie, at Syracuse, not much has improved with Josh Wright.

With each team still holding some hope for a 2nd half Big East run, I can't see Syracuse sinking lower...yet. I think they pull together with an effort that comes up with a win, similar to their effort against Villanova at home not too long ago.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Syracuse 73 DePaul 64

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