BET GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL VS PROVIDENCE

March 11, 2009


Day two of the 2009 Big East Tournament (see link for tickets) tips off at high noon with DePaul facing Providence in Madison Square Garden.

The Blue Demons snapped an 18-game losing streak with a 67-57 tournament opening win over Cincinnati on Tuesday. The Blue Demons got 17 points a piece from Will Walker and Dar Tucker and they shocked slumping Cincinnati.

The Friars come to New York City as the tourney's 9th seed following a 10-8 Big East conference season. Many thought that 10 wins in this year's Big East would make a team a lock for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, but the Friars definitely look to have more work to do, especially with Cleveland State knocking off Butler last night, likely taking away an at-large bid for the bubble teams.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on today's contest:

Kale Gives Hopeful Friars a Spark (Sun Chronicle)
Friars Defensive About NCAA Tourney Chance (Sun Chronicle)
Frars Aim: Change That New York State of Mind (Providence Journal)
Capsule Preview: PC vs DePaul (Providence Journal)
A Year After PC Fired Him, Tim Welsh Still Roots for Friars (Providence Journal)
With Senior Laden Group, Providence Smiling on Keno Davis (Chicago Tribune)
No So Blue, DePaul Advances (Beacon News)
DePaul Upsets Cincinnati in Big East Tournament Opener (Chicago Tribune)

This is a good news-bad news scenario for Providence College. The good news, they are heavily favored to win and advance to the Big East quarterfinals with a victory against DePaul. However, for a team in need of a win (or two) that means something, beating the Blue Demons, a team that is 9-23 on the season, is not going to grab anyone's attention.

These two teams met back in early January with the Friars victorious at home, 62-54. The Friars had four players in double figures in the win, led by Weyinmi Efejuku's game-high 18 points. The held the Blue Demons to 35% shooting and leading scorer Dar Tucker was just 4-17 from the field.

The Friars have a deep backcourt, led by senior Efejuku and redshirt junior Sharaud Curry, and they have some size with Geoff McDermott and Jonathan Kale inside and Randall Hanke can be a productive player off the bench against a team like DePaul.

While the Blue Demons are playign with house money as a 16-seed advancing to round two of the Big East Tournament, they will be facing a tough uphill battle in this game. Having the experience of one game in Madison Square Garden under their belt should help and the Friars have all the pressure on them, look for DePaul to possibly get out of the gates quicker than the Friars.

But, in the end, PC will take control of the game near the end of the 1st half and begin to set the cruise. If they win, their date with Louisville in the quarterfinals will be their biggest game in some time.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Providence 72
DePaul 61

Read more!

DEPAUL GETS NEW START IN BIG EAST TOURNEY

March 10, 2009


The biggest Big East Tournament ever tips off today at noon in Madison Square Garden with Cincinnati, the conference's 9th seed, battling DePaul.

The expansion of the conference tournament to include all 16 teams gives the Blue Demons a chance to compete in the Garden Party despite their 0-18 conference record. Jerry Wainwright and his crew have been bad in every aspect of the game this season. They completed their 0-18 conference on Saturday evening with a 48-40 loss at Georgetown. Guard Will Walker led the way for the Blue Demons with 20 points on 9-23 shooting. In 39 minutes, Walker also added 6 steals, but zero assists. Leading scorer Dar Tucker was 3-18 from the floor and added one assist. As a team, DePaul registered three assists and big man Mac Koshwal was 1-2 from the field in 32 minutes. He did have a game-high 12 rebounds, but with Walker and Tucker gunning away from the perimeter, Koshwal goes ignored in the paint.

One month ago Cincinnati was 17-8 overall and 7-5 in the Big East. With a few solid non-conference win, the Bearcats were appearing on the right side of several 2009 NCAA Tournament bubble projections. However, losses in five of their last six, including NCAA crushing defeats to South Florida and Seton Hall last week has left the Bearcats once again limping into the post-season. Last season, UC was 8-5 in the Big East before losing their last five conference contests and closed the season on a seven-game losing streak.


Here are some pregame stories and previews on today's game:

DePaul vs Cincinnati Match-up (Chicago Tribune)
Opportunity at Hand (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Will DePaul Cure UC? (Cincinnati Enquirer)
A Victory in the Big East Would Make DePaul's Season (Chicago Tribune)

These two former Conference USA rivals met in mid-January with Cincinnati escaping with a 59-55 win at Allstate Arena. DePaul lost 16 of their 18 Big East contests by 8 points or more, so the earlier match-up with UC was one of their better chances to win.

Dar Tucker led DePaul with over 18 points a game, but Will Walker has been hot of late, scoring 51 of the Blue Demons'103 total points in the last two games. Over the course of his last 10 games, Walker is averaging 18.8 a game while connecting on 37 three's in that span.

But, after Tucker and Walker, nobody else seems to get many scoring opportunities. Six-foot-10 Mac Koshwal is seldom used in the paint, despite averaging 12.6 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting 53% from the field.

Cincinnati comes limping into New York City as they continue to look for their first win in the conference tournament since joining the Big East. Their lone win in their last six games came against West Virginia in the emotional return of Bob Huggins to Cincinnati. However, they were unable to gain any momentum from that win as they turned around to be blown out at Syracuse just a few days later and then lost to USF and SHU to close the regular season.

Junior Deonta Vaughn is the UC leading scorer at 15 points a game and doubles as their point guard. That double duty seems to be taking a great toll on him as his scoring has dipped to just 10.5 points a game in their six-game slump.

UC did get a little healthier for the SHU game as Mike Williams returned to the line-up and added 11 points while playing 39 minutes after missing two weeks of action with a knee injury.

college basketball betting odds have UC as an 8 1/2-point favorite in the opening game. I would be surprised if there is a lot of energy in the building as neither team is likely to draw much of a crowd, so look for DePaul to stick around and put up a good fight.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

Cincinnati 61
DePaul 56

Read more!

DEPAUL LOOKS TO COMPLETE BIG EAST SLATE 0-18

March 7, 2009


Georgetown will look to avoid being the ‘one’, the ‘only one’ this time. Three years ago, in the last regular season game of the year, Georgetown lost at South Florida and the Bulls avoided a Big East o-fer with the win.

This year, on the season finale, DePaul, who is 0-17, will make their last play of the season for a conference win and it will come at Georgetown.

The Hoyas have been one of the biggest disappointments, especially since they knocked off UConn to open conference play and climbed into the top 10 of the national rankings. It has been a steep free fall since they were 3-2 in the Big East and coming off an impressive win over Syracuse. The Hoyas are now 6-11 in the Big East and likely headed to an 11th place finish in the conference.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

What Happens to College Coaches Who Can’t Win a Conference Game (Daily Herald)
Sapp Departs as Georgetown’s Heart & Soul (Washington Times)
Wainwright Under Fire, But DePaul AD Preaches Patience (Southtown Star)

Georgetown will look to avoid the season’s biggest embarrassment and keep DePaul winless in the Big East. The Hoyas certainly have the talent to do so, even with Austin Freeman banged up.

Chris Wright should find the match-up with the DePaul backcourt to his liking and Greg Monroe and DaJuan Summers should dominate the Blue Demons frontcourt.

DePaul has been getting a big scoring lift from Will Walker and Dar Tucker continues to put up big offensive numbers, but Walker’s surge seems to have come at the expense of any interior production, an area that if lacking makes wins in the Big East hard to come by, especially on the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 73
DePaul 55

Read more!

DEPAUL PLAYING OUT THE STRING, TRAVELS TO WVU

March 4, 2009


West Virginia heads into the final week of the regular season before the 2009 Big East Tournament as winners of four of their last five games, dropping the emotional return of Bob Huggins to Cincinnati in that span. At 9-7 in the Big East and 20-9 overall, WVU looks to be safely 'in' the NCAA Tournament and will be playing for seeding in these last two weeks of play.

On the other end of the spectrum tonight is DePaul. The Blue Demons are 16 of 16 in Big East regular season games so far, unfortunatley, 16 of 16 in losses. The low point of their season, just as you thought it could not get any lower, occurred last Saturday when they were demolished at home, 84-63, by St. John's, making 0-18 in the Big East a near certainty with road games against WVU and Georgetown to close the Big East slate.

Hey, at least everyone is invited to NYC next week. Any DePaul fans going???

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's match-up:

Huggins: Sorting NCAA Field a Tall task (Times West Virginian)
DePaul’s Futility Historic in Nig East (Charleston Gazette)
Mountaineers Focused on DePaul (wvMetroNews.com)
Huggins Says DePaul a ‘Huge Game’ for Mountaineers (Register-Herald)
’Truck’ Gets in Gear (Charleston Gazette)
State of DePaul Hoops Just Pathetic (Daily Herald)
DePaul Athletic Director Sticking by Embattled Coach Wainwright (Chicago Tribune)
Huggins Cautious About DePaul Game (Martinsburg Journal)

There really is not a whole lot to go over in this game that has not already been said about DePaul. They do have a couple capable players in the Big East in sophomores Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal. Will Walker has turned into an adequate third scorer, but from there the talent takes a major nosedize in terms of Big East talent. Plus, their continued upheaval at point guard limits their ability to get the ball to Koshwal and they are usually left with Tucker and Walker launching a high amount of shots trying to keep up with the opposition.

West Virginia has performed quite well this season. They rely on three key freshmen in Darryl Bryant, Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones and they have seen junior Da'Sean Butler blossom as one of the conference's top scores. Senior Alex Ruoff gives them an experienced leader and a Bob Huggins staple of athletic forwards, such as Wllington Smith and John Flowers, and the resident banger Cam Thoroughman, give this team a very solid make-up. They have had to overcome the loss of projected starting point guard Joe Mazzulla to a season-ending shoulder injury and they have grown up in a hurry in the process. While the future under Huggins at WVU looks really bright, the present is not too shabby and the Mountaineers are an interesting threat heading into the postseason.

Today's college basketball lines indicate little problem for the Mountaineers tonight as they have been pegged as a 21 1/2-point favorite. I do see two factors in this game that will likely keep the game closer than the line...

1) DePaul's dead-cat bounce. After their embarrasing home loss, te players come back and play for pride. As mentioned, there are a few capable players, more than enough to beat someone in the Big East. While that opportunity has sailed, an effort is expected in tonight's game, if not for pride alone...

2) WVU has Louisville coming in for a primetime showdown at 9 PM on Saturday to close the regular season. The chance to be looking right past the Blue Demons is very possible. If not at the beginning, when WVU reaches a big lead, it likely could set in then...

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 81
DePaul 66

Read more!

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

Read more!

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

Read more!

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)

Read more!

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

Read more!

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

Read more!

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

Read more!

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

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: BATTLE OF THE WINLESS IN BIG EAST

January 31, 2009


Well, something has to finally give here. DePaul travels to New Jersey to take on Rutgers in a battle between the last remaining winless teams in Big East play. Both the Scarlet Knights and Blue Demons are 0-8 in conference play.

Here are some pregame stories and previews:

Rutgers-DePaul Scouting Report (Asbury Park Press)
Blue Demons Head East to Rutgers (bluedemons.com)

Thus far this season, Rutgers has proven to be an enigma, as their talent does not seem to be matching their results. DePaul, on the other hand, just seems to be plain old bad.

Even though it was a stretch to think RU was going to compete for a spot in the top half of the league, they seemed to have a mix of potential and experience that could make them dangerous, but their 0-8 start in the league has things looking bleak.

DePaul has already been swept by South Florida, losing both handily, so we see where their standing in the conference currently is. Mac Koshwal and Dar Tucker are good players and will be matched against Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique of RU. The supporting casts for each team have been a disappointment, but the group at Rutgers should be the difference in this game.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Rutgers 66
DePaul 60

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ DEPAUL

January 28, 2009


The final game of a busy Big East Wednesday tips of at 9 PM at Allstate Arena as DePaul hosts Connecticut. The Blue Demons join only Rutgers as winless teams in Big East action and a victory tonight against the high-flying Huskies looks to be a near impossible prospect.

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

No. 2 UConn at DePaul: Preview (Hartford Courant)
Downturn for DePaul, but an Uptick of Support for Wainwright (Southtown Star)
UConn Needs More from Robinson (Hartford Courant)
Yes, It’s Looking Glum for DePaul; Wainwright Can Only Hope (Daily Herald)
Huskies Hope to Avoid Getting Caught in Trap Game (Middletown Press)
DePaul Seems Overmatched Against UConn (Stamford Advocate)

Stories are coming out left and right looking at Jerry Wainwright’s future as the head coach of DePaul. As of now, the administration is saying all the right things to indicate he has their support and will continue to lead the Blue Demons in the future. However, the number of empty seats and fans letting their opinions known is definitely having an impact on the coach and his players.

Top all that off with a date with No. 2 Connecticut, and things look very bleak for the Blue Demons.

The Huskies seem like they are beginning to show signs of hitting their stride, typical of a Jim Calhoun team when the stretch run appears ahead. AJ Price is returning to his form of last season and fellow senior Jeff Adrien is controlling the paint with brute force. Hasheem Thabeet is the most intimidating defender in the country and Jerome Dyson is beginning to pour in points from the wing. This team looks to have all the pieces as a serious title contender.

DePaul, on the complete other hand, looks the part of the conference cellar dweller. Their strengths are trumped by other teams all too easily. While Mac Koshwal and Dar Tucker are fine Big East talents, every other team has a duo similar, it is the rest of the line-up that is outmatched at every position in the Big East, allowing teams to stifle their big guns and earn easy wins.

The early college basketball odds have the Blue Demons as a 13 ½-point underdog on their home floor. I almost have a feeling that keeping the game that close would be a minor victory for Depaul.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Connecticut 79
DePaul 63

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL LOOKS FOR FIRST BIG EAST WIN

January 24, 2009

Lowly DePaul travels to Milwaukee to meet former Conference USA rival Marquette for a 2 PM Big East conference showdown. While Marquette has ascended to the top of the Big East standings with their 5-0 start, DePaul has bottomed-out and sits at 0-6 in league play. This once anticipated match-up hardly registers a blip on the radar on the schedule this weekend, even in Chicago.

DePaul and Marquette Meet for 106th Time (debaulbluedemons.com)
Wesley Mathews Leads Marquette Against DePaul (Chicago Tribune)
DePaul Desperate for a Win (Southtown Star)

The pressure has definitely hit a crescendo on Jerry Wainwright and his program. The local papers are all running stories wondering the status of his future as DePaul has fallen to the bottom of the Big East. With no indication of an uptick in their future, the powers that be at DePaul will be taking a long look at the future of the program over the next couple months.

For now, they have more basketball to play and have a nightmare match-up on Saturday afternoon when they visit Marquette. The Golden Eagles are led by their super guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews. Their strength matches up right with the Blue Demons’ weakness. Marquette has the perimeter athleticism, speed, strength and height to take Dar Tucker and Will Walker right out of the game.

While Marquette’s front line is very undersized, Mac Koshwal should put together solid numbers for DePaul, but MU will counter by disrupting the offensive of DePaul with on the ball pressure on the perimeter, making it very difficult for them to get the ball inside. This one has all the makings of a blow out and the college basketball betting lines have the Golden Eagles as a 16 1/2-pt home favorite. Seems about right…if not a little low.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 85
DePaul 64

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: USF GOES FOR SWEEP WITH DEPAUL

January 20, 2009


For the second time in 10 days, DePaul and South Florida will hoop up in a Big East conference match-up. The Blue Demons were humiliated on their home floor in the first meeting, a 80-58 loss to USF. They will try and find some revenge tonight as they try to get their first conference win of the season at the Sun Dome. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 PM.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the web today:

Blue Demons and Bulls Face off Tuesday Night (bluedemons.com)
USF Freshman Gus Gilchrist Showing Steady Improvement (St. Pete Times)
USF-DePaul Preview (St. Pete Times)

Just ten short days again, DePaul was thoroughly dominated in every aspect in a humbling 80-58 loss to South Florida. The Bulls came to chilly Chicago and heated up, shooting 52% from the floor and dominating DePaul on the backboards with a 42-24 rebounding edge.

Dominique Jones, who is coming off a 35-point outing in a loss at West Virginia, led USF with 22 points. Jesus Verdejo and Gus Gilchrist had good games on the offensive end and Chris Howard had a flawless floor game, scoring 12 points, handing out 10 assists without a turnover and added 5 rebounds for good measure.

A flawless floor game is something DePaul knows little off as their point guard struggled have continued into the fourth season under Jerry Wainwright. The Bulls rely on the talents of sophomores Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal, but too often Koshwal is shut out by his own team with their lack of post-game concentration. Will Walker is a capable third scorer, but the Blue Demons are more prone to jack up ill-advised shots without an effort to run an offense.

A team with shooting woes, weak rebounding numbers and the tendency to get beat defensively is not a good formula to win on the road, and Depaul has shown they cant win at home with those shortcomings in the Big East. Still, with the Bulls being competitive in recent games against better clubs and their recent mauling of DePaul on the road, seeing just a 6 1/2 point spread on the game stands out. Still, DePaul needs to prove they can play with someone, especially on the road, where they are apt to lose by double digits more often than not.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

South Florida 66
DePaul 55

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI @ DEPAUL

January 17, 2009


The stumbling, bumbling DePaul Blue Demons take on former Conference USA rival Cincinnati at Allstate Arena on Saturday afternoon. DePaul returns to action after having a week off to absorb the embarrassing 80-58 loss to South Florida from last week. Jerry Wainwright’s seat is hot enough to thaw the city of Chicago currently besieged by bitter cold weather.

The Bearcats earned their first conference win as they rallied from a 16-point first half deficit to beat Rutgers on Wednesday. The Bearcats defense finally found a conference opponent they could slow down and got a victory in a game where they missed 18 consecutive shots at one point.

Devin Hill, DePaul Looking for First Conference Win (Chicago Tribune)
UC’s Williams Flashes Potential (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Cincinnati’s first conference win was hardly a thing of beauty as the Bearcats rallied from a large early hole, one they put themselves into against Rutgers on Wednesday. UC coach Mick Cronin holes it is the first building block for his club.

“It’s always nice to win a game when you miss 18 consecutive shots,” Cronin remarked in this week’s Big East coach’s conference call. “It was a character builder for our team.”

A key development that must continue to present itself is the added offense that Mike Williams has provided of late. Williams has averaged 18 points a game in the last three games, helping to support junior Deonta Vaughn, who has averaged 21 in the same timeframe, and give UC a needed second offensive weapon to prevent teams from putting all their attention on Vaughn.

DePaul is led by the sophomore duo of Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal. Tucker does his damage attacking the basket on slashing driving while Koshwal is a horse in the paint that will also get up and down the court.

College basketball odds of the Blue Demons are not helped by inconsistent point guard play and the lack of consistency from the rest of the roster for Tucker and Koshwal and the Blue Demons are 1-point underdogs on their home court in this one.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

Cincinnati 68
DePaul 63

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ DEPAUL

January 10, 2009


Something has to give at Allstate Arena on Saturday afternoon as DePaul and South Florida both look to earn their first wins in conference play this season. DePaul has lost to Notre Dame at home and to Providence and Syracuse on the road to begin their conference schedule.

South Florida began conference play with a pair of home games, but came up short against Syracuse and Louisville. They will not hit the road that has never been very forgiving for the Bulls since joining the Big East in search of their first conference win of 2008-2009.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on today’s match-up from the web this morning:

DePaul Desperate for Big East Win (SouthTownStar.com)
DePaul, South Florida Look for First Big East Win (Chicago Tribune)

The early college basketball odds have DePaul as a 6 ½-point favorite to be the team to get their first conference win in this game. The Blue Demons are likely to have the two best players on the floor for much of the game with Dar Tucker on the wing and Mac Koshwal in the paint, although Dominique Jones will try and have his say in that matter. However, Tucker’s defensive potential could slow Jones down on one end of the floor.

South Florida has never been one to find road success in the Big East, even though DePaul is not one of the stronger teams in the conference, USF is unlikely to start finding the success this afternoon either.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

DePaul 65
South Florida 57

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ SYRACUSE

January 7, 2009


Quietly, Syracuse continues to rise up the national rankings, being a 60-foot shot away from possibly being undefeated at this point. While the brutal portion of the Big East schedule does not kick in for another week, the Orange will look to avoid a pot-hole in the Dome tonight when DePaul comes looking to break into the conference win column.

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

Orange Scouting Report Vs. DePaul (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Syracuse Faces Tough Stretch Against Top 25 Teams (Rochester D&C)
Mac Koshwal’s Leadership Vital to Depaul’s Success in Big East (Chicago Tribune)

Following a sloppy win at South Florida last Friday night, Syracuse looks to get back home and playing better as the meaty section of their schedule is starting to appear in the near distance. A key part of the reason SU was not able to put the Bulls away on Friday night was the absence of Paul Harris who did not play after suffering a lacerated finger in their win over Seton Hall. Harris’ ability to rebound on the backline of the SU 2-3 zone was missed as Andy Rautins was forced to play on the block defensively often.

Also, Arinze Onuaku was just one of nine from the foul line, a number that will have to get MUCH better against the better teams in the Big East. However, in this match-up, it might not matter so much. SU is a bad match-up for DePaul as they will force the Blue Demons to fire away from the outside as they sit in a 2-3 zone defense. DePaul is not a very good perimeter shooting team and their point guard play is still an area that needs to improve, especially if they will attempt to attack the zone properly.

Syracuse will sag their zone to take away the driving lanes of Dar Tucker and also neutralize Mac Koshwal in the point. Take away scoring opportunities from either, or both, of those two and DePaul will be seriously challenged to score point.

Syracuse, on the other hand, has plenty of offensive firepower with Rautins finding the range from the perimeter lately, Eric Devendorf returning and Jonny Flynn running the show. Harris back in the line-up will help and the dual big man line-up with Onuaku and Rick Jackson will cause the Blue Demons a lot of trouble on both ends of the court.

Syracuse seems to be a generously lists 15 ½ point favorite tonight as they look to continue to cement their return to your March Madness betting pools after a two-year hiatus. However, after more review, maybe that is not enough.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Syracuse 83
DePaul 66

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ PROVIDENCE

January 3, 2009

The Providence Friars got out of the Big East gates quickly under new head coach Keno Davis with a 21-point win over the undermanned St. John’s Redstorm. PC will look to go 2-0 in conference play when they host DePaul on Saturday night.

The Blue Demons hope to avoid an 0-2 conference start as they dropped their opener in conference play to Notre Dame on Wednesday at Allstate Arena 92-82. Mac Koshwal had 26 and Dar Tucker 24 in the loss, but DePaul continues to lack help for their two big scorers.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the web:

Davis Comfortable Redshirting Two for Rest of Season (Providence Journal)
Jabari Currie Giving DePaul Third Scoring Option (Chicago Tribune)
The Providence X-Factor

Coming into the season, Providence was regarded as a conference darkhorse to be in you March Madness betting pool when all was said and done this season. The pre-conference schedule did not really help PC out a whole lot as they missed their opportunities to collect any wins that would stand out on a NCAA Tournament resume. However, if they can start out 2-0 in the Big East and begin building some confidence and getting more comfortable in what coach Davis and his staff are looking for, PC can still make a run.

They have an experienced point guard in Sharaud Curry who looks to be rounding back into form after missing all but 8 minutes last season. They have some dangerous perimeter shooters in Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier and dangerous wings in Marshon Brooks and Weyinmi Efejuku. PC still needs to be tougher inside, although Geoff McDermott will battle anyone, with Randall Hanke and Jonathan Kale playing both ends of the floor in the paint. There are some pieces…we expect some better wins soon from the Friars.

For now, they need to settle for beating the teams they should beat. And the Blue Demons are such a squad. Whiel Mac Koshwal and Dar Tucker are impressive individual talents, Jerry Wainwright still has not found a way to maximize their talents to make the rest of the team better and produce better results on the court, especially in the Big East. Tucker and Koshwal might be able to carry their team to a win on occasion, but in the Big East, that is a tall, tall order.

The Friars are a 10.5–point favorite to go 2-0 in Big East play…they should come out on top in this one.

Prediction:

Providence 76
DePaul 67

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: NOTRE DAME @ DEPAUL

December 31, 2008


DePaul looks to put the memory of another poor pre-conference performance behind them as they get new life with the start of the Big East schedule. Unfortunately for the Blue Demons, they open conference play against a strong Notre Dame club at Allstate Arena on New Year's Eve.

Here are some pregame stories found on the web:

No. 7 Notre Dame ready to Start Big East Play (Chicago Tribune)
Notre Dame's Harangody No Longer Affected by pressure (Chicago Tribune)

Notre Dame, despite two losses, has remained in the Top 10 during the pre-conference schedule and is set to open Big East play on the road against their nearest neighbor in the Big East, DePaul. While many Blue Demon fans will likely skip out on the game to go begin the New Year's festivities, expect a large contingent of Irish fans spending the New Year in Chicago and begin the partying watching their hoops team.

DePaul's mission in this out of conference schedule was to avoid the embarrassing losses that have plagued them the previously few years. While losing in California to Cal and UCLA is nothing to be ashamed of, their home loss to Morgan State was just an example of what they hoped to avoid. They were also blown out, 63-36, by Northwestern and lost in Vegas to Creighton. While they have got to see much of the country, five losses before the Big East schedule is going to leave a mark.

The Irish will look to establish the reigning Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody inside against the thin DePaul frontcourt. Once help arrives, look for the balanced ND attack to heat up from the outside with Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers spotting up for their shots. The man running the show, Tory Jackson, will likely rack up the assists in this one.

Looking over the NCAA Basketball Odds, the Irish are listed at 7 1/2 point favorites. What the Irish do well is score...something DePaul struggles to do...not a good match-up for the home team, and to make matters worse, it might not even feel like much of a home game with a large contingent of ND fans converging on the Windy City for New Year's

Prediction:

Notre Dame 77
DePaul 65

Read more!