BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN'S @ DEPAUL

February 28, 2009

DePaul came up just short on Wednesday night, falling 74-72 against Villanova at Allstate Arena, in their quest for their first conference win of the 2008-2009 season. On Saturday, they welcome St. John’s into Allstate Arena in their last home game of the year. At 0-15 in conference play, DePaul will hope to avoid the first Big East 0-fer since Miami went 0-18 in the 1993-1994 season. With road games left after Saturday with West Virginia and Georgetown before the 2009 Big East Tournament, this will probably be the only chance they have at avoiding a winless conference campaign.

St. John’s enters Saturday’s contest with a 4-11 mark in Big East play and 13-15 overall. With another losing record in Big East conference play, an annual sign of spring is on its way in NYC has begin as the job security of Norm Roberts begins to come under question. While the administration publicly stands behind the embattled coach, they have also been seen at the recent games more regularly.

Last Sunday, the Redstorm broke a five-game losing streak with a win over Seton Hall at Carnesecca Arena, but they were unable to create any momentum as they laid another egg on the Madison Square Garden floor, an all too familiar scene in recent years, with an 87-58 loss to Syracuse.

While injuries and youth have impacted the success of the Redstorm this season, a loss against DePaul will definitely bring more calls for the end to the Roberts era. In order to prevent such a situation, SJU must come out and play defense and hit the boards against the Blue Demons. St. John’s has some length and athleticism that should make it hard on DePaul to score points. The key match-ups will be DJ Kennedy against Dar Tucker, who leads DePaul with 18 points a game, and Justin Burrell inside against Mac Koshwal.

Against Villanova DePaul let an eight-point halftime lead, which they stretched to 10 early in the second half, go for naught in a 74-72 loss. Villanova actually stormed back to take a double-digit lead of their own before a Will Walker shooting display from beyond the arc made things interesting.

Mac Koswhal was doing damage inside against the Wildcats, posting 10 points and 9 rebounds in the first half, but like all too often, DePaul lost track of their big man in the second half and resorted to launching perimeter shots, which they miss, much more than they hit.

If St. John’s can play tough inside and control the boards, they should be in pretty good shape. They match-up well with the DePaul personnel and Malik Boothe seems to have a better grasp of the SJU game plan than the DePaul rotating door at point guard.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

St. John’s 65
DePaul 59

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: VILLANOVA @ DEPAUL

February 25, 2009


Jerry Wainwright and his DePaul Blue Demons are running out of chances to avoid an 0-18 record in Big East play. Currently sitting at 0-14, the Blue Demons have a home game tonight against red-hot Villanova and wrap-up their home schedule this weekend with St. John's before finishing on the road against West Virginia and Georgetown.

Villanova continues to play for NCAA seeding and are coming off a very impressive road win at Syracuse on Sunday afternoon. Their athletic and deep backcourt looks to be a nightmare for the Blue Demons and the experienced front court led by Dante Cunningham also matches up well with DePaul. At 10-4 in the Big East and 22-5 overall, getting a top-four Big East seed for the Big East tournament is a real possibility for the Wildcats and should keep them focused in what could be a classic sandwich game.

With Georgetown up next and coming off the thrilling 89-86 win at Syracuse, a letdown may be very natural for Jay Wright's squad. Making the cold trip to the midwest in the middle of the week is never a fun prospect, even for college kids, so getting their intensity level up in a near-empty Allstate Arena might be a challenge.

Led by junior Scottie Reynolds and senior Dante Cunningham, and also getting increased productioin from sophomore corey Fisher and senior Dwayne Anderson, the Wildcats seem to be coming together quite well as February rolls ahead towards March. Their penchant for extending defensive pressure deep into the backcourt will test the very weakness of DePaul that has been the biggest cause of their 0-fer Big East record: ball-handling. With Jabari Currie lost for the season, freshmen Jeremiah Kelly and Mike Bizoukas handle most of the duties at the point. Scoring wings Will Walker and Dar Tucker will also have pressure to produce against the 'Nova defensive specialists.

At some point you have to beleive something goes right for DePaul. Players like Mac Koshwal and Dar Tucker can be productive players in the Big East and Will Walker has shown he could score in the Big East. The problem is the rest of the roster will have to play over their heads to give a Big East-level performance, something that can very much happen, but has yet to do so. Nobody wants to be that first victim, and although I think they put up a fight, I do not see 'Nova being the first to fall either.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Villanova 79
DePaul 67

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DEPAUL LOOKS FOR FIRST BIG EAST WIN AT PITT

February 21, 2009

Pittsburgh beat DePaul 92-69 earlier this month on the road and on Saturday night, the Panthers look to complete the two-game sweep against the Blue Demons. The pro-Pittsburgh crowd will look to welcome home the Panthers following Monday night’s win at UConn.

In the first meeting against DePaul, DeJuan Blair scored a career-high 32 points. So, his 22-point, 23-rebound performance against Hasheem Thabeet and the Huskies came as no surprise to DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright. Expect the Blue Demons to be ready for Blair in this one.

“We have to use two blockers on DeJuan Blair to keep him off our quarterback,” Wainwright quipped earlier this week.

All kidding aside, the veteran DePaul coach knows what his team is up against, and being on the road, it is unlikely to be any easier.

“They’ve built a depth and a confidence off the bench that is really unbelievable,” Wainwright remarked. He continued, “I do believe they have as good a chance to get as far as anybody in the country. I really do believe that.”

With Blair getting all the attention this week, Sam Young’s 25-points and Levance Fields’ clutch shots seem to be almost forgotten. Not quite, according to Big East coaches.

“I do think that DeJuan Blair is playing at an exceptional level right now,” Rutgers coach Fred Hill said this week when asked about how good he felt Pitt is. “I think that Levance Fields might be one of the most underrated players in the country [and] certainly a guy like Sam Young can really, really score. They’ve got a very good team.”

So, how will DePaul compete with this deep attack of the Panthers. Well, hoping for a letdown by the Panthers might be their best hope. However, nobody seems willing to give DePaul a chance, at 0-13, nobody wants to be the team remembered as the victim of their first, and possibly only, conference win.

“Everybody comes at us like they would at a first-division team,” Wainwright observed.

Expect Pitt to do the same. They are deep and experienced, DePaul is not. The Panthers still have NCAA seeding and a Big East championship to play for. With a home crowd energizing their Panthers, Pitt will roll, as expected.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

Pittsburgh 87
DePaul 60


Pitt Favored by Historically Large Margin (Tribune-Review)
Pitt Facing Easy Schedule (Tribune-Review)
Pitt Taking Nothing for Granted as Postseason Prospects Loom (Post-Gazette)

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ LOUISVILLE

February 15, 2009


Can it get much worse for DePaul? After being blasted on their home court by Seton Hall, 72-49, they now must head to Louisville to meet a very angry bunch of Cards in Freedom Hall. The Blue Demons are now 0-12 in the Big East and the winnable games on their schedule have pretty much dried up completely.

Louisville has been roughed up twice in their last three games, at home to No. 1 UConn and on the road against Notre Dame in their last game out. Having lost two of three after starting Big Easat play 8-0 is not sitting well with the Cards, whose offense has sputtered tremendously in the last three and a half games.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found today:

Cards Sick of Viewing Irish Tape (Courier-Journal)
DePaul’s Road Gets Tougher With Angry Louisville (Chicago Tribune)
Pitino: Team Moving on From Irish Drubbing (Courier-Journal)


DePaul has been a shaky ball-handling team and with Jabari Currie out for the season, their ball-handling is under tremendous pressure. The Louisville full court press will be a constant test of the young guards in the Blue Demon backcourt. However, the Louisville press can only set-up after they score, and that has been difficult lately.

The offensive problems that contributed to out of conference losses to Western Kentucky, Minnesota and UNLV have seemed to resurfaced for the Cards lately and Rick Pitino is in need of putting life back into their attack. DePaul should be a good a good elixir for what ails a team, so we will see if the Cards can get back on track this afternoon.

Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal lead Jerry Wainwright’s attack, but they will certainly be facing an angry opponent today. Getting offensive production from Will Walker will be the key in keeping this game close, which might be all that DePaul can hope for.

Louisville needs their guards to pick up their play, a question that was under the microscope prior to the season and we are in mid-February and that question remains. Finding some form of consistency from Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith, Preston Knowles and Andre McGee is imperative as the stretch starts. You know what you will get, more than not, from Terrence Williams, Earl Clark and the freshman interior duo of Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings, now they need the same from their backcourt.

The Cards are a 21 ½-point home favorite. While it is no doubt that UL is a MUCH better tram than DePaul, that seems like a lot of points for a struggling offense.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 73
DePaul 55

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DEPAUL'S LOSING WAYS CONTINUE

February 11, 2009


For the second season in a row, Seton Hall has put together a five-game win streak in Big East play. After starting conference play 0-6, SHU upset Georgetown (4-7) on their home floor and then finished off a four-game home stand with wins over Rutgers (1-10) and St. John's (3-8). They have now extended the streak by hitting the road to complete a sweep over Rutgers on Sunday afternoon and can now add DePaul (0-12) to their list of victims after Seton Hall Downs DePaul, 72-49 (Star Ledger) in Allstate Arena on Tuesday night.

Eugene Harvey had an efficient 19 points to go along with 6 assists to lead SHU. 'Stix' Mitchell added 16 points and a team-high 9 rebounds and Jeremy Hazell contributed 13 for the Pirates, who shot 51% from the floor as a team and turned it over just six times all game against a listless Blue Demons squad.

Where Does DePaul Go From Here (Daily Herald)? At 0-12 in the Big East as DePaul Falls Again, this Time to Seton Hall (Chicago Tribune) and it is looking more and more like DePaul May Become First Team in 15 Years to Go Winless in League (Daily Herald) and a near-lock to set the record in program's history for the longest losing streak, which was tied at 12 last night. Four of the Blue Demon's last six games will be on the road, including back-to-back trips to Louisville and Pittsburgh in their next two games.

Dar Tucker led DePaul last night with 19 points and Mac Koshwal added 11 points and 16 rebounds.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ DEPAUL

February 10, 2009


Will DePaul win a Big East game this season? Tonight might be their best opportunity when Seton Hall visits Allstate Arena. If the Blue Demons were to play the Pirates, this might be the best time to do so. Seton Hall is coming off a hard-fought road win over rival Rutgers, 65-60, on Sunday and has a quick turnaround to play DePaul. SHU is not a deep team, playing six players for the most part, and this will be their third game in a six-day span.

DePaul is coming off a 92-69 home loss to Pittsburgh. At times, the Blue Demons looked ok, but they could not sustain good play for stretches and had no answer in the paint for DeJuan Blair.


Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight’s game found on the web:

DePaul’s Jabari Currie Done for the Season (Chicago Tribune)
Blue Demons Still Searching for Big East Win (Courier News)

So, will DePaul win a Big East game this season? The odds of a team, with some talent like the Blue Demons, going 0-18 in the Big East are long, but if anyone can do it, DePaul looks like a perfect candidate. They are already well on their way, being swept by USF in a home and away series and losing to Rutgers and St. John’s by double digits. They have lost their last four games by an average of 20 points, including the last two at home, by 15 to Marquette and 23 to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Now, Seton Hall, who has won four in a row, will pay a visit as DePaul looks to salvage something in this three-game home stand.

Seton Hall, a 2 ½-point favorite on the road, started Big East play 0-6, but has turned the ship around winning four straight. While the wins have come against the bottom of the Big East with two over Rutgers (1-10 in the Big East) and victories against St. John’s (3-8) and Georgetown (4-7), teams with a combined conference mark of 9-35, SHU seems to have separated themselves from that pack. Now, they look to make 0-11 DePaul their next victim.

Everyone knows SHU is not deep, especially in the frontcourt where gimpy John Garcia guts his way through games, but DePaul is not very deep either. The starting line-up for SHU is definitely talented, sometimes inconsistent and prone to curious decision-making and shot selection, but they love to pull teams into a playground-type of frenzied play. DePaul’s biggest problem, one stretching Jerry Wainwright’s entire tenure in Lincoln Park, has been the inability of their point guards to control the pace and dictate the game. If they fail to do so tonight, they could be run out of their own building, once again.

DePaul has some talent, led by sophomore’s Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal, but the drop-off to the rest of the team is steep. Outside of Will Walker, their top duo has little help at all. That line-up can not get it done in the Big East.

Seton Hall, playing better, is a 2 1/2-point favorite on the road…’nuff said.

NBE Blogger Preview:

Seton Hall 76
DePaul 67

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DEPAULS DROPS 11th STRAIGHT, 92-69, TO PITT

February 7, 2009


For about the first 18 minutes of their game on Saturday between DePaul and No. 5 Pittsburgh, thoughts of Friday night's stunner were fresh in the minds of many watching. DePaul had a 33-29 lead and a frustrated Jamie Dixon burning time outs and his players' ears.

With a game against rival West Virginia ahead on Monday and the 'formality' of facing the Big East's last winless team in conference play, DePaul Was a Test of Pitt's Focus (Tribune-Review) and that focus had a lot to be desired.

However, this Pitt team seems a little different than those of the recent past. In the final 2:20 of the first half, the Panthers ripped off a 13-0 run and never looked back again in blowing DePaul out of their own building, 92-69.

Pitt eclipsed 90 points for the third straight game, this time led by a dominating performance by DeJuan Blair as Blair Hits a Career High in Pitt's Win (Post-Gazette) as the 6-foot-7 sophomore finishes with 32 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

The Pitt effort, as usual, had everyone chipping in. Levance Fields scored 13 points and also added 16 assists while turning the ball over just once. Sam Young had 10 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore Brad Wanamaker scored 13 off the bench.

Pitt held a 42-25 rebounding advantage and continued their improved three-point shooting by connecting on 11 off 22 from beyond the arc.

Mac Koshwal and Dar Tucker each scored 18 for DePaul, who know finds themselves 0-11 in the Big East and 8-16 overall.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH @ DEPAUL

February 7, 2009


It does not get any easier for DePaul, 0-10 in the Big East, when Pittsburgh comes to Allstate Arena for a Big East match-up on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers are 7-2 in the conference and will look to get a win ahead of Big Monday’s match-up against rival West Virginia.

DePaul put up a strong effort in a 76-61 home loss to Marquette earlier this week. The Blue Demons were down by 18 before the 10 minute mark of the 1st half and were without leading scorer Dar Tucker. They battled back to be in the game at the half, but they simply to do not have enough weapons with a healthy Tucker and without him, they never were able to challenge the Golden Eagles.

Pitt’s last conference game was a 93-80 home win over Notre Dame. Sophomore center DeJuan Blair dominated the paint with a 23-point, 22-rebound performance as Pitt rebounded from a loss to Villanova. In an out of conference match-up, the Panthers cruised past neighbor Robert Morris this past Monday.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

Match-up: Pittsburgh @ DePaul (Chicago Tribune)
DePaul Can Fill Void, but Dar Tucker’s Return Still Key (Chicago Tribune)
Four Ways Pitt Can Finish in Top Four (Beaver County Times)

If Jamie Dixon needs evidence to make sure his team is not overlooking the Blue Demons, he can likely point at Friday night’s Big East shocker of South Florida knocking off Marquette. Pitt comes into Allstate Arena with a large bulls-eye on their back and a match-up with rival West Virginia waiting on Monday night. The USF win, handing Marquette their first conference loss of the season, is pretty clear proof that teams need to be ready every night to in the Big East.

For Pitt, they need DeJuan Blair on the floor. The 6’7, 265 pound big man can not find himself on the bench with fouls, when he does, Pitt can struggle as he is their most important player and will be a handful for the Blue Demons in the paint.

DePaul is likely to have Dar Tucker back in action after he missed the loss to Marquette earlier this week with a sprained ankle. Tucker and backcourt mate Will Walker have provided most of the DePaul offense this season and they will have the tough Pitt defense working hard to stop them.

The latest NCAA basketball betting odds have Pitt as a road favorite. Expect the Panthers to win, but…this one might be a little bit closer than anticipated, although Pitt never is threatened.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Pittsburgh 75
DePaul 66

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DEPAUL NOW 0-10 IN BIG EAST PLAY

February 4, 2009


If things weren't bad enough for the DePaul basketball team being the lone winless Big East team in conference play, 0-9, and hosting the lone undefeared Big East team in 8-0 Marquette, it was Life Without Dar (Daily Herald) last night as leading scorer Dar Tucker missed the contest with a sprained ankle that he suffered in the team's shootaround workout earlier in the day.

It looked like a total mismatch with Marquette sprinting to a 30-12 lead not even 10 minutes into the game with Jerel McNeal having a personal 14-12 lead over the Blue Demons, but DePaul, to their credit, and to that of their coaching staff, did not quit as many had probably expected. Instead, they rallied to make it a 42-37 game at the half.

Marquette had control the rest of the way as the First-Place Eagles Run Winning Streak to 12 (Journal-Sentinel) games as Marquette Defeats DePaul, 76-61 (Chicago Tribune).

Once again, the Golden Eagles were led by McNeal, who scored 26 points, added 6 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks and 4 rebounds, enjoying a trumphiant return home to his Chicago roots. Marquette shot 57% as a team and delighted a pro-MU crowd (on Depual's home court!) on the road with the win. Wesley Mathews added 20 points on 8-10 shooting from the field and Dominic James added 15 points, 5 assists and 4 steals as the trio matched DePaul's team total of 61 points.

DePaul got a career high 30 points from Will Walker who picked up the scoring slack vacated by Tucker's 18.4 points a game being out with an injury. Redshirt-freshman Mike Bizoukas logged the most time at point guard and had 8 assists with just one turnover against the MU backcourt in 34 minutes. He seemed to work well with Walker in the backcourt helping create scoring opportunities.

DePaul will host Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL HOSTS MARQUETTE

February 3, 2009


The death march that Jerry Wainwright and his DePaul basketball program seems to be on continues tonight when Marquette visits Allstate Arena for a Big East basketball conference match-up. This is a match-up of one end of the Big East spectrum against the complete opposite.

Marquette, at 8-0, is the last remaining Big East team undefeated in conference play. DePaul, on the other hand, is sitting at 0-9 and following their loss over the weekend to Rutgers, is the final winless Big East team in conference play. Both streaks are likely to continue tonight.


Here are some pregame stories and previews from the internet this morning:

Basketball Preview: Marquette vs. DePaul (Post Crescent)
Quite a Run for Demons' Walker (Southtown Star)
MU Heads Out on Trip With Confidence High (Journal Sentinel)

Against Rutgers on Saturday night, it looked like DePaul was just going through the motions, completely lifeless and broken. They made little attempt to go inside, instrad settling for jump shots. They made little attempt to defend, allowing Rutgers to score 75 points, 42 in the second half.

While one can reasonably expect more of an effort on their home court, for their own individual pride, this is not a match-up that is very favorable to them at all. The two teams met in Milwaukee back on January 24th and the result was a 79-70 Marquette win. The Golden Eagles raced to a 48-34 lead at the half before their intensity waned and DePaul hung around in the second half, but never really challenging.

The Marquette backcourt, led by Dominic James, Wesley Mathews and Jerel McNeal will make life very difficult for Will Walker, Dar Tucker the the Blue Demons point guard du jour. While DePaul has a size advantage, led by Mac Koshwal, they seem to be clueless on how to utilize their talents in the paint.

Looking at today's college basketball lines, Marquette is an 11 1/2-point road favorite. In Big East play, that seems by alot. However, our numbers indicate an easier time for the Golden Eagles and if they bring similar effort as they have shown, led by their seniors and vesatile junior Lazar Hayward, they should overwhelm Depaul.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 84
DePaul 70

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