2007-2008 Game Preview

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ VILLANOVA

January 16, 2008

The DePaul Blue Demons are off to a surprising 3-1 start in conference play. In the preseason it definitely looked like this kind of start could be accomplished with their schedule, but home losses in the out of conference schedule at home to teams like Ill-Chicago and North Carolina A&T certainly left having ANY success in the Big East in doubt.

Villanova, on the other-hand, cruised through much of their out of conference schedule with a mark of 10-1. These teams have already met once on the young conference season, with DePaul earning an 84-76 win on their home court. Villanova has since won at home over Pitt (64-63), but lost on the road at Cincinnati (69-66) and will look to even their conference record tonight.

Here are the local media previews of tonight’s Big East contest:

DePaul Goes for Sweep Against Villanova (Daily Herald)
DePaul Familiar With Villanova’s Boat (Chicago Tribune)
DePaul Looks to Extend Big East Success (Sun Times)

Villanova is a 10-pt favorite at home tonight against the Blue Demons of DePaul. It was just 13 days ago that DePaul jumped out to a big lead and held on for an 84-76 win over Villanova in the league opener for both teams. DePaul was limited to six healthy players in that game, all of whome scored in double figures, as Jabari Currie, Majita Poscic and Dar Tucker were all injured. Tucker did play three minutes.

The Blue Demons are much healthier now and are still playing well. They sit at 3-1 in the Big East and are tied with Pittsburgh, Marquette, Georgetown and Notre Dame at the head of the conference standings. They even took their success on the road over the weekend picking up a valuable win at St. John’s, 60-54, with Dar Tucker leading the way with 16 points.

Villanova finally got a big game from Scottie Reynolds over the weekend as the sophomore guard poured in 32 points. However, it came in a losing cause as the Wildcats fell on the road to Cincinnati, 69-66. Villanova got virtually nothing from forwards Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark and Malcolm Grant, the hero of wins over Pittsburgh and LSU, was scoreless in 8 minutes. Villanova got some good news on the injury front with Casseim Drummond, their leading rebounder, being cleared to practice this week. The 6’10 Drummond is a big body and Villanova does not have anyone else with the body to play physical in this league. Taht is an issue against a team like DePaul that has some beef in the frontcourt with Wesley Green and Mac Koshwal.

DePaul seems to be a team that plays well against Jay Wright’s squad. Athletically, DePaul can match-up with most teams in the conference with a big front line and very athletic wings in Tucker and senior Karron Clarke. Draelon Burns is an accomplished scorer and the guard trio of Will Walker, Cliff Clinkscales and Currie continues to improve, find their roles and play more consistent.

Villanova relies on their guards to win. Their group of guards are definitely good led by Reynolds and freshman Corey Fisher, but they are young with the freshman Grant and sophomore Reggie Redding rounding out the group. This guard group is not qute to the level of previous Villanova units and with a thin frontcourt that has been missing Drummond, they need to carry the team.

One area I think Villanova can make a big impact is with pressure defense and I look for them to extend the defense and play with a little desperation, much like they did against Pitt when they forced 22 turnovers. DePaul is prone to this kind of attack and on their home floor, Villanova seems to up the ante defensively.

I still see this as a close contest, but the home team gets a MUCH needed win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 68 DePaul 62

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

January 12, 2008

DePaul travels to New York to take on the St. John’s Redstorm in a high noon Big East match-up. DePaul comes into the contest with a 2-1 record in the Big East after opening conference play with a three-game homestand. A loss to Georgetown was preceeded by wins over Villanova and Providence to begin conference play.

Here are the local media previews on the game:

Along for the Roller-Coaster Ride (Chicago Tribune)
Inconsistent DePaul Heads off to St. John’s
Keeping Talent at Home Not Easy for St. John’s, DePaul (Daily Herald)
SJU Has to Start Stormin’ (NY Post)

On the season DePaul is 6-8 anf just 2-4 away from home, including 1-2 in true road contests, losing at Kansas and at Creighton by double-digits. Their lone road win was a 70-64 decision over Detroit.

In their three conference games, freshman Mac Koshwal has averaged a double-double (12 pts and 10 rebounds) and has benefited from improved consistency of their point guard play. Leading scorer on the season, Draelin Burns, has struggled a bit in conference play, averaging just 11.3 PPG while shooting a miserable 28.6% from the floor (10-35) and 9% from the arc (1-11). To win on the road, DePaul will need their veteran leader to show them the way.

Despite Burns’ difficulty on offense, a few other players have picked up the slack, especially Will Walker (12 PPG in BE action) who has hit seven of 14 3-pt attempts in the three conference games. Dar Tucker is another exciting freshman in a league full of them and has showed his talents with 29 points over the last two outings.

Points could be difficult to come by as the Redstorm are a very good defensive team. Their starting line-up has very good athletic ability at the wing positions and excellent length. The Redstorm has lost a couple tough road games (at UConn and Syracuse) but had a win over an improving Cincinatti in between. The Redstorm is 7-7 on the season and have been led by Justin Burrell in conference play. The athletic freshman forward is averaging 17 PPG and nearly 8 rebounds in conference action. He shows an outstanding touch from the foul line, going 13-13 from the stripe in conference play. Anthony Mason is looking healthier and healthier each time out and he is filling up the stat sheet and contribues nearly 14 PPG in conference play.

One mystery has been the disappearance of Larry Wright from the regular rotation. Wright showed potential as a freshman and on a young team, he was being counted on to step up this season. He has averaged just 12 minutes a game in conference play, but shows he can still put some points on the board in a hurry, scoring 29 points in those 36 minutes. Eight of his nine field goals in the last three games have been from beyond the arc.

Scoring is the key for St. John’s. They seem to have too many players in the rotation that do no offer much of a scoring threat, but nearly everyone can defend and rebound. If Norm Roberts can find a way to unleash the offensive talents of Wright, Rob Thomas and others while keeping up the defense, SJU becomes a very tough out, especially at home.

This game will be determines by which team makes shots. Playing at home against a team playing their first conference road game, I expect SJU to be more comfortable and that should lead to a better shooting afternoon.

NBE Blogger Prediction: St. John’s 66 DePaul 60

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ DEPAUL

January 8, 2008

Two ofthe four remaining unbeaten teams in Big East play collide in Chicago tonight as the Georgetown Hoyas meet the DePaul Blue Demons. DePaul has surprised many following the conference wth wins over Villanova and Providence to start league play. Georgetown beat Rutgers on Saturday to start Big East play for the Hoyas.

DePaul, 6-7 on the season, will face a daunting task to reach .500 on the season and to move to 3-0 in the Big East. Georgetown is deep with talent on the front line and in the backcourt. Seniors Jonathan Wallace, Roy Hibbert and Pat Ewing give coach John Thompson III the veteran leadership any contender must have. DaJuan Summers is a burgeoning star in the league and Jesse Sapp has been through the Big East battes for a few yars as well. Freshmen Austin Freeman and Chris Wright are capable of giving the Hoyas an extra gear. Added depth with Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers to round out the regular rotation that has answers for just about every situation they will face in the Big East.

One of DePaul’s biggst areas of improvement the last few games has been their play at point guard, led by senior Cliff Clinkscales and junior Jabari Currie. Their more consistent play as the leaders on the floor has been a big help in the team’s improvement. Draelon Burns is the go-to scorer and has a defined role, although he will find it tough to be effecient against the Georgetown defense.

DePaul definitely has the athleticism to match anyone in the conference on the wings with Karron Clarke, Dar Tucker and Will Walker. Inside, the one-two punch of Mac Koshwal and Wesley Green have greatly benefited from the improved guard play as they have gotten more touches and taken advantage.

Tonight, look for Georgetown to play with a little more purpose and intensity because John Thompson III was not at all happy with the overall effort against Rutgers. They will involve Roy Hibbert early and often and work from there. DePaul will hang tough, but Georgetown will slowly and consistently pull away with their offensive effeciency, stout defense and solid rebounding, making DePaul have to play a near perfect game to keep pace.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 71 DePaul 61

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PROVIDENCE @ DEPAUL

January 5, 2008

Both teams coming off very different results will have to put Thursday night’s games behind them and re-focus for a Saturday evening tilt that could play a big role in the outcome of their seasons.

Providence wraps up a quick two-game Midwestern road trip with a drive from Milwaukee to Chicago to face the Blue Demons of DePaul. Coming off a complete drubbing at the hands of Marquette, the short-handed Friars will look to rebound against DePaul. After this game, PC has three of their next four at home. The three home games at the Dunkin Donuts Center are very winnable.

DePaul gets to start off conference play with a pair of home games. Entering their conference opener the Blue Demons were on their first two-game winning streak of the season, but were still just a disappointing 4-7 on the year. Facing a ranked opponent at home for the second time this season, DePaul once again saw a double digit late second half lead shrink, but this time, DePaul was able to put away Villanova and earn the win, unlike a previous attempt against Vanderbilt.

With Friars point guard Sharaud Curry still in a protective boot and limited to eight minutes of action all season, and his back-up, Dwain Williams, unlikely to play because of an ankle injury, the Friars were dismantled by Marquette. With shaky guard play and no inside game to speak of, it was a no-win situation for PC and it got real ugly. Now they have to find a way to right the ship in a hurry to avoid a 0-2 conference start.

DePaul also was short-handed in their win over Depaul as Majita Poscic and Jabari Currie did not play because of injury and Dar Tucker was limited to three minutes because of a sore ankle. In the process, Jerry Wainwright might have found a cure to their point guard woes as Cliff Clinkscales played one of th ebetter floor games of a DePaul PG in the last couple seasons, especially when they needed it down the stretch against a good gaurd group from Villanova. If Tucker is ready to go, the Blue Demons match up well with the Friars with their size inside, athletic ability on the wings and a scorer in Draelon Burns to rely on.

With Curry and Williams out, PC will have to rely on the inconsistent Weyinmi Efejuku, but their biggest issue will be trying to find some form of inside game to battle Mac Koshwal and Wesley Green. If they can’t, it will be a long night again for PC.

NBE Blogger Prediction: DePaul 69 Providence 65

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: VILLANOVA @ DEPAUL

January 3, 2008

DePaul has definitely been a disappointment so far this season, but the Blue Demons can start anew as conference play tips off tonight when they welcome Villanova to Allstate Arena. The Wildcats come in with a national ranking in the Top 20, but will be facing their first true road game outside of the city of Philadelphia when they head to Chicago. Here are the local stories on the contest:

‘Nova Positively Tough to Beat (Chicago Sun-Times)
Is ‘Nova ready for Big East Battles (philly daily News)
DePaul Starts Big East Campaign (Daily Herald)
Still Calling Chicago Home (Scottie Reynolds) (Chicago Tribune).
Wildcats Get Ready for Road Test (Philly Inquirer)
Fisher Gives ‘Nova Options (Evening Bulletin)

I think, despite the disparity in records, this game will prove to be more interesting than one might think. DePaul matches-up with Villanova fairly well, however, the Wildcats definitely have the advantage of consistent perimeter play, while the Blue Demons can be all over the place on the perimeter. That, in the end, will likely decide the game.

Super-soph Scottie Reynolds leads the Wildcats with 17 PPG and he has freshman Corey Fisher as his sidekick. Fisher has been elevated into the starting line-up after a slow start battling tendonitis in his knees early in the season, and he continues to improve and look more and more like the prized recruit expected to be a force in the conference. On the wing, Shane clark has also raised his game this season and is a very effecient offensive weapon for Jay Wright’s club. Dante Cunningham consistently shows up in the right place at the right time and gives the Wildcats a little more offensive punch than they have had previously in the paint.

The key to this year’s Villanova team has been their depth, which allows them to play big, small or anyway in between. Corey Stokes, Reggie Redding, Antonio Pena, Malcolm Grant and Casseim Drummond have all provided quality play and have taken their turns at being key contributors of wins. This team is deep, and versatile, though some of that will be lost without 6’10 Drummond, who is out for at least the immediate future with a stress fracture in his right ankle.

DePaul, expected to be down a bit this year, has disappointed with a 4-7 record. They have won two in a row, so they have built a little positive momentum, but a tough pre-conference schedule has made things very rough on the young squd. The Blue Demons are athletic and they do have some size, but they are painfully inconsistent yet again, especially offensively as they still can not find any consistent point guard play. Karron Clarke (11.5 PPG and 5.7 rebounds) and Dar Tucker (13.6 PPG and 6.7 rebounds) are among the elite athletes in the country and Tucker’s freshman classmate Mac Koshwal (11.2 PPG and 8.0 rebounds).

Draelon Burns leads the Blue Demons in scoring (19.4 PPG) and is second in the conference, but does so on a lot of shots (166 in 11 games). Burns and Tucker account for 43% of DePaul’s shot attempts as their rotating point guard position (Jabari Currie, Will Walker, Cliff Clinkscales) by and large does a poor job of getting the ball inside and putting players in position to score consistently.

There is still some hope for this DePaul team, they need to start playing smarter and effecient basketball. However, this is the third season under Jerry Wainwright and they continue to lack any form of consistency offensively. You always think these teams are capable of more, sometime we might see it, but Villlanova is clearly better than NC A&T and Illinois-Chicago, two teams that have already won at Allstate this season.

As a 4-pt road favorite, look for Villanova to pull away for a win down the stretch.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 70 DePaul 61