There are teams that benefit from conference realignment and see their programs improve mightily by playing in a more high profile league. And then there’s DePaul. Since coming over to the Big East with Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida, and Marquette almost a decade ago the Blue Demons have never finished higher than 9th in the conference and have frequently claimed the Big East’s bottomfeeder status. This year, despite a solid coach in Oliver Purnell and some playmakers on the roster, DePaul again is staring at another disappointing season. The Blue Demons have lost to a 9 – 8 Gardner-Webb and a 10 – 8 Western Kentucky program. Plus they are already just 1 – 2 in the Big East having only beaten the Providence Friars. With 10 of their next 15 conference games left against teams DePaul is staring up at in the Big East standings things could only get worse in the coming weeks.
For the Bearcats they are coming off their most complete game in recent weeks having beaten Rutgers 68 – 58 on the road this past Saturday. The defense was its usual suffocating self and the offense displayed inside-outside flow over the entirety of the game for the first time in a month. Hopefully the problems the Bearcats have had with the ball in their hands are a thing of the past and they can continue their winning ways in the Big East.
Key Numbers
The Blue Demons are a fast-paced team that score quite a few points (75.1 per game) despite not shooting all that well from the field or from beyond the three point line (45% and 30% respectively). Both rank in the bottom half of the Big East. They give themselves a lot of opportunities to score, ranking at the top of the conference and 4th nationally in possessions per game (75), but just don’t seem to capitalize on them. It’s as if they see the chance to score, hyperventilate like a salesman about to make a sale, and mess up big time. So for the Bearcats who use transition as well as any team to create points, they should feed into this and let the Blue Demons plays as fast a tempo as they choose because Cincinnati knows they can take advantage at the flip of a switch.
Players To Watch
Jamee Crockett (#21): He is a relatively new name who will be an integral part of Purnell’s rebuilding project at DePaul. After working his way slowly into the offense as a freshman, Crockett is essentially a full time starter now at the wing position as a sophomore. But after a knee injury a few games into the season he’s been struggling to get his legs under him as he is shooting just 22% from three after knocking down 37% of his shots from beyond the arc last season. He’s a JaQuon Parker-like player on the boards averaging the 2nd most rebounds for the Blue Demons behind only forward Cleveland Melvin. Plus his 9.4 pts to 21.8 minutes ratio is impressive, showing he’s one of the most efficient players on a fairly inefficient offense.
Cleveland Melvin (#12) vs. Titus Rubles: He has been the anchor of DePaul’s post position going on three years now. But he’s not necessarily a back to the basket big man. Melvin is very active from all over the court and while he makes most of his money within 10 ft of the bucket, he can pop out and hit a mid-range jumper or the occasional three. On a per-minute basis, Cheikh Mbodj and David Nyarsuk will probably be tasked at keeping Melvin in check but it would still be interesting to me to see he and Rubles go at it. This could be an interesting battle to watch.
Final Thoughts And Prediction
DePaul basketball is definitely upward trending but is still a couple of years away from really threatening teams in the upper half of the Big East on a consistent basis. One of those teams in Cincinnati and while there could be the slight chance that the Blue Demons pull off a win, the Bearcats are too experienced to be surprised tomorrow night. Plus this talented group of seniors have never lost to DePaul in the regular season and when push comes to shove that dominance over the past few years is well known on both benches.
Cincinnati: 81
DePaul: 65