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Even though the college basketball season has been over for three weeks now, there is still some activity amongst some of Chicago’s men’s basketball programs. Here is the latest…..
The Loyola Ramblers announced recently that they will be joining the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1st of this year. They will essentially be replacing Creighton who joined DePaul and “The Catholic Seven” in what will be the new version of the Big East next season. Loyola was a core member of the Horizon League since it joined in 1994 when it was known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
They played in the Summit League before that which was known back then as the Mid-Continent Conference. Over the years they formed a fierce rivalry with UIC as well as other Chicago schools, most notably DePaul and Chicago State. With Porter Moser trying to bring Loyola back to it’s winning ways of the past, perhaps a change of scenery will be the the boost that this program needs.
It’ll be interesting to see Loyola create new rivalries with Illinois State, Bradley, and Southern Illinois. It is a brand new day for basketball in Rogers Park.
Speaking of Loyola’s former rival UIC, the Flames athletic department announced yesterday that head coach Howard Moore has been given a three-year contract extension. The deal still needs approval from the UIC Board of Trustees, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Especially since Coach Moore led his Flames to accomplish quite a bit this past season.
In 2013, the UIC Flames made it to the postseason for the first time since 2004 and won their first postseason game in school history. They defeated Chicago State in the first round of the College Insider Tournament back in March. Moore has also done a solid job of recruiting local players which were a major asset to the teams success this year.
This extension will keep Moore at Harrison and Racine through the 2017-2018 season. Of course we couldn’t leave you without talking about the DePaul Blue Demons…..
Last week, four players decided to transfer other schools. This week, it looks like those four spots have been filled with the announcement of some new recruits. The biggest recruit so far has been shooting guard R.J. Curington. The 6’5″ Curington is originally from Chicago but played his high school ball at the legendary Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
Oak Hill is the home for NBA alumni such as Carmelo Anthony, Michael Beasley, and Jerry Stackhouse just to name a few. Hopefully Curington will be the next NBA star to come out of Oak Hill. Joining Curington will be Morgan Park guard Billy Garrett Jr., and junior college transfer forwards Forrest Robinson and Greg Sequele.
Earlier this week I was once again on the “Cooley and Chivari Show” on Sportstownchicago.com. Starting on Monday, the show will air from 6pm-8pm moving from it’s former 12pm-2pm time slot. You can hear my interview here:
This Friday night I will be coming to you from U.S. Celluar Field on the South Side as the White Sox return home to face the Minnesota Twins. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm and you can follow on Twitter for game updates @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
We here at Q101 send our prayers, thoughts, and condolences to the victims in Boston.
With the college basketball season winding down, I got to thinking about what lies ahead for Chicago’s men’s college basketball programs. I’ll begin with the team I covered the most this season, the DePaul Blue Demons. The Demons finished the 2012-2013 season with a disappointing 11-21 overall record and just a conference record of 2-16.
They were the worst team in the “old” Big East Conference. DePaul didn’t get much press in the preseason. But after compiling a 9-4 non-conference record in November and December, this team had a lot of promise and high expectations. They began their conference schedule with a loss to Seton Hall but defeated Providence two nights later.
It would all fall apart from there as the Demons would go on to lose nine in-a-row. They finally broke their losing streak with an amazing six point victory over Rutgers back on February 16th. From there many had hoped the Demons would be able to turn the curve and salvage their season.
Unfortunately all hopes would wind up fading as DePaul finished the season with another losing streak, they would lose the final six regular season games. They would eventually get eliminated in the first round of the final “old” Big East Tournament against the same Rutgers team they beat a month before.
DePaul had a lot of talent on the court this year. They also had a solid coach in Oliver Purnell. But there were some flaws, and those flaws cost the Demons dearly this season. Turnovers, inconsistency, missed shots, and the inability to rebound were just the beginning of DePaul’s troubles.
Their defense let DePaul fans down when it counted the most. Allowing easy shots, giving up three pointers, a lack of presence in the paint, and unable to sustain second half leads also plagued the Blue Demons. DePaul lost 10 games by less than 10 points this season. They were also outscored by a total of 821-712 in the second halves of all of their losses this season.
In four of those games, DePaul either had the lead or was tied at halftime. This is a trend that must change if Oliver Purnell is to keep his job. Historically, DePaul has not fared well in the Big East. They were just 27-115 as an original Big East member. Hopefully entering the “new” Big East next season will help this program.
The defense must also improve. Heading into a new league next season, DePaul will have to contend with some of the best shooting teams in the country. Teams such as Butler, Creighton, and Xavier are all high percentage shooting teams. DePaul has the talent but there are some ways they can improve that talent and become a better team.
DePaul only had two seniors on this years roster, guard Worrell Clahar and forward Stuart Pirri. Pirri didn’t see much playing time, but Clahar’s three-point shooting will be missed. All five of DePaul’s starters will return next year:
PG Brandon Young
SG Charles McKinney
PF Cleveland Melvin
SF Jamee Crockett
3F Donnavan Kirk
Young, Melvin, and Kirk will all be seniors next season. If they want to get into the 2014 NBA Draft, they will need to step up their game tremendously. Young needs to become more of a true point guard. He shoots the ball too much, takes unnecessary shots, and tries to take matters into his own hands when the Demons are down.
He needs to start dishing out more assists, be patient, and not take as many shots. He needs to pass the ball more and give the guys on the inside more chances to get it done. Cleveland Melvin is the leader of this DePaul team, he just needs more help from his teammates. Melvin is already a second round draft pick in my eyes. But if he can get better assistance from his teammates, he can become a first round pick.
Then we have Donnavan Kirk. Even though he is listed as the “third forward” like most college teams have these days, he technically lines up as a center. He’s 6’9″ and has great length, leaping ability, wing span, and is a decent inside scorer. The only problem is that he only weighs 223 pounds. He always defends the biggest man on the opposing team. But sometimes 223 pound frame hurts more than it helps.
He gets pushed around easily and this allows teams to move him out of the box. And when that happens, the other team gets easy inside buckets, they can maneuver to out-rebound DePaul, and it puts pressure on his teammates. This was evidenced in the games against Connecticut, Villanova, and Pittsburgh.
Kirk should gain at least 15-20 pounds and become more physical in the paint. When his inside game is compromised, he tries to compensate for that by shooting jump shots. Shooting is not Kirk’s strong suit, he needs to spend some time in that weight room so he can be effective in 2014.
Then we have Jamee Crockett and Charles McKinney, they will be juniors next year. They are now ascending into leadership roles and Coach Purnell will be highly dependent upon these men. DePaul needs more production from McKinney. He averaged 20 minutes per game last season but only scored five points per game.
He will need to become a better scorer and be a more aggressive player if DePaul is to have success next year. As for Crockett, he is a great outside shooter. He hit plenty of clutch three pointers this past season. But if he truly wants to be a small forward in this game, he needs to become a better perimeter player and develop more of an inside game.
DePaul also has the remainder of their bench players coming back next season. Backup guard Cory Dolins will most likely be the man to give Young a breather. The soon-to-be sophomore only played in five games in 2013. Next year will be his chance to break out. Edwind McGhee will be a senior next year. He also only got into five games last season. He will end up being McKinney’s backup, he needs more playing time.
Then there is also Durrell McDonald. It’ll be interesting to see how/if Oliver Purnell uses him next year. Las Vegas native Moses Morgan will also be a senior come next school year. He’s already proven himself to be a solid player. If he can keep playing the way he did this past season, the Demons should be in good shape.
Then we have forward Montray Clemons. At 6’7″ and 235 pounds, he already has the physical tools to get the job done. As a freshman, Clemons only saw garbage minutes in DePaul’s drastic losses. He will be a year older and hopefully a year wiser next season. He will be the man to backup Cleveland Melvin in 2014. He needs to prove that he can play with the big boys.
Another youngster who could be something special is swing man Jodan Price. I’ve seen him practice, he’s a heck of a shooter and has some potential. At 6’7″ he can either come in for Charles McKinney or give both Crockett and Morgan a break. I would love to see what he could do with more playing time.
Then you have the reserve big men with Darrell Robertson Jr. and Peter Ryckbosch. Robertson was the main guy to backup Donnavan Kirk and will probably do so again. Measuring 6″10″ and 247 pounds he seems like he should be a monster in the post. But he seemed timid at times last season. He needs to unleash the beast and show that his size can match up to his game.
Ryckbosch will only be a sophomore next school year. When your 6’9″ your expected to do some great things. Unfortunately he’s only 225 pounds, he’ll need to bulk up about 15 or 20 pounds first. Then perhaps he’ll get more playing time to show what he can do. All of this of course doesn’t even count whatever recruits DePaul has coming in next year.
If DePaul’s roster can get it together, they can improve and make a run at the postseason. The new conference should help because there is no more UConn, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Louisville, or Rutgers to make their lives miserable anymore. But they will have to contend with Georgetown, Villanova, and St. Johns.
I think DePaul will fare much better not having to worry about so many power teams. But it should be interesting to see how Butler, Xavier, and Creighton will play into all of this. But for now, things to look brighter for the DePaul Blue Demons.
Tonight I will be at the Allstate Arena taking in the Chicago Wolves game against the Milwaukee Admirals. You can follow me on Twitter during the game @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
March Madness is in full swing with numerous local teams involved and here is the latest…..
The Illinois Fighting Illini won their first NCAA Tournament game in two years with Friday’s victory over Colorado by the final score of 57-49. The Illini were able to contain Buffaloes star forward Andre Roberson by limiting him to 9 points and 8 rebounds. They also managed to get him to foul out. Nnanna Egwu did an excellent job keeping Robertson under wraps.
John Groce’s team also did well against Colorado’s reserves as they only allowed five points off of the Colorado bench. D.J Richardson, Tracy Abrams, and Brandon Paul all scored in double figures despite the fact that the team only shot 30 percent from the field. The Illini who are the seventh seed in the East Region will take on the second seeded Miami Hurricanes on Sunday.
Miami was one of the best teams in college hoops this year. They won the regular season title of the Atlantic Coast Conference and at one point was ranked the number one team in the country. They are heavily favored this year and the Illini will have quite the task on Sunday. Of course the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will wish they could play on Sunday, but that will not be the case.
The seventh seeded Irish of the West Region suffered yet another early round NCAA Tournament loss as they were embarrassed by tenth seeded Iowa State with a final of 76-58. Iowa ran away with this one early as Mike Bray’s team looked lost on defense from the get go. Iowa State scored in every way possible. Inside, outside, in transition, and off of turnovers.
Notre Dame’s star guard Jerian Grant was held to just nine points while also committing five turnovers. The Cyclones shot 40 percent from the floor and left Irish fans shaking their heads in disbelief. ISU will play the second seeded Ohio State on Sunday. The Cyclones better enjoy this victory now because the Buckeyes are a Final Four favorite this year and are loaded with talent.
On Thursday night, Bryce Drew’s 14th seeded Valparaiso Crusaders were eliminated by the third seeded Michigan State Spartans 65-54 in the Midwest Region. Perhaps the Bryce Drew game-winning shot clip from 1998 will finally stop airing on television.
The other tournament involving local teams is the College Insider Tournament. After coming off an historic first round victory over Chicago State on Wednesday night, The UIC Flames will hit the road for their second round match up. It was announced on Friday afternoon that the Flames will take on Northern Iowa in the second round of the CIT.
Illinois-Chicago leads the all-time series with UNI 11-10 and they have a lot of talent heading into this one. The Panthers from Cedar Rapids will have their work cut out for them on Saturday night. The Bradley Braves also participated in this year’s CIT. They defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay in Peoria on Wednesday night. They will get another home game this weekend when Tulane makes it’s way to Carver Arena for that second round match up.
Finally, things are almost official for “The Catholic Seven”, or should I say the “new” Big East Conference. You already know that the re-birth of the Big East will take place on July 1st. Here are the newest developments…….
Xavier, Creighton, and Butler have decided to join which will make this a 10-team conference. Also, the league has signed a 12-year television deal with Fox Sports to carry many of the conference games including the new Big East Conference Tournament which will still take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In August, Fox Sports is expected to return with a national network, similar to the one they had from 1997-2005. The Speed Channel will become Fox Sports 1, and Fuel TV will become Fox Sports 2. All of this will take place in August. The future looks bright for all parties involved, hopefully DePaul’s basketball program will start to head in the right direction as well.
Saturday night, I will be covering the Chicago Rush’s 2013 season opener from Allstate Arena. The arch-rival Iowa Barnstormers will be in town with former Rush head coach Mike Hohensee calling the shots. It’s always a bittersweet moment when “Coach Ho” comes back to Rosemont. But that is what makes this rivalry so special.
Kickoff will be at 7pm, and always you can get game updates from me via Twitter @GabeSalgado82. Along with the hashtags #Q101Sports and #REDemption…….
After what began as a promising season in October, the DePaul Blue Demons fell way short of expectations over the last few months. Tonight, their long struggling season finally came to an end.
The Blue Demons were the 14th and last seed in this year’s Big East Tournament in New York City. They took on Rutgers in the first round of this year’s tourney at Madison Square Garden.
Last month, DePaul defeated the 11th seeded Scarlet Knights on national television at the Allstate Arena. That was the only advantage the Demons had entering tonight’s contest.
Since then DePaul has lost their remaining regular season games. Oliver Purnell’s squad had some fight in them tonight as they went toe-to-toe with Rutgers in the first half. The Demons were only down 32-31 at halftime.
But as the story has been all season, the Demons fell apart in the second half. The saga continued as they were outscored 44-26 in the final frame. Brandon Young and Cleveland Melvin were the only bright spots tonight as they scored 15 and 25 points respectively.
Worrell Clahar got the start at point guard again tonight and he scraped up 9 points. However those points were only off of three-point shots. As for the other two starters, Charles McKinney and Donnavan Kirk could only combine for 4 points and 2-7 shooting.
The bench was no better as the only scoring came from shots by Moses Morgan and Jamee Crockett. As a team, the Blue Demons were only 22-53 from field goal range. They were also a miserable 3-18 from three-point range, and were out-rebounded 34-20.
DePaul finishes the season with a record of 11-21, and have now gone six straight seasons without a postseason berth. Oliver Purnell has a long and difficult off season ahead of him. In my next report, I will go more in depth about what lies ahead for DePaul from a personell stand point.
But for now, I can tell you that it’s not all bad. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Especially since DePaul’s conference relocation is now official and should help the program down the line.
Wednesday at 1:20pm, log onto http://www.sportstownchicago.com/home.cfm and click on the listen live link. I will once again join the “Cooley and Chivari” show to talk about DePaul and other local college basketball stories. You can follow the show on Twitter @cooleychivari
And it’s a over week late but here is my most recent appearance on “The Sports Cypher” from March 3rd. My segment begins at the 14-minute mark. You can follow that show on Twitter @TheSportsCypher
You can also follow me on Twitter @GabeSalgado82
You can friend me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GabeSalgado82
I am also on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gws1182
After defeating Cleveland State in the first round of the 2013 Horizon League Tournament this week, UIC had plenty of momentum heading into their quarterfinal match up with Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Unfortunately, the ride would come to a screeching halt on Friday as UWGB extinguished the mighty Flames 64-63. This game was tight from start to finish. Both teams traded baskets for pretty much the entire game.
The final 44 seconds was the story teller in this one. The game was tied at 61 when Phoenix guard Jordan Fouse missed two free throw shots and UIC got the rebound.
Shortly afterwards, Flames guard Gary Talton was fouled and hit two free throws to take a 63-61 lead. It would come down to the final play. After a series of passes, Green Bay guard Sultan Muhammad found himself wide open. And with nobody guarding him, he got the ball and hit a three-point shot with only a couple of seconds left.
UIC guard Daniel Barnes attempted a half-court shot at the buzzer but it would not go. The Flames were sent packing from Valparaiso on a night where they got another great effort from their top players.
Flames forward Hayden Humes led all scorers with 23 points. The Valparaiso native also shot 10-12 from the field and grabbed 5 rebounds. Gary Talton and center Josh Crittle combined for 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.
The Flames will return home to Chicago to await their postseason fate. They finish the season with a 17-15 record, and have an RPI of 164. It may not get them into the NCAA Tournament, the National Invitational Tournament also seems like a stretch.
Perhaps a bid to either the College Invitational or College Insider Tournaments will be the most likely destinations. UIC has not played in the postseason since the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
In the other quarterfinal, Wright State defeated Youngstown State 66-59. Wisconsin-Green Bay will have the tough task of taking on the top seeded, regular season champion Valparaiso. As for Wright State, they will go up against the just as tough Detroit Titans.
Both games will take place later today with the championship game on Tuesday.
In other major college basketball news:
Back on March 1st, I reported on how DePaul and the rest of what’s known as “The Catholic 7″ could move to their new conference as soon as next school year.
On Friday, that decision was made official. DePaul, St. Johns, Villanova, Marquette, Seton Hall, Providence, and Georgetown will departing the current version of the Big East Conference.
The Catholic Seven will get to keep the Big East name, logos, properties, and still play the annual conference tournament at New York’s Madison Square Garden. This all takes effect on July 1st.
Here is the official statement from the Big East:
“Big East Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco today announced that after several weeks of cordial and professional discussions, a definitive agreement has been reached that will enable a mutually-beneficial separation of some of the league’s current members and allow an orderly formation of a new conference by the seven basketball schools. The separation will become effective on July 1, 2013.
The agreement, which remains subject to formal Board approval, contemplates continued cooperation and playing opportunities between the conferences.”
Here is what Commissioner Aresco had to say:
“I am pleased that this agreement has been reached. With the long-term well-being of our outstanding institutions and their student-athletes of paramount importance, each group worked through a number of complex issues in an orderly, comprehensive and amicable manner marked by mutual respect. We part ways as friends and colleagues and look forward to the success of both conferences.”
Here is the reaction from DePaul President Rev. Dennis Holtschneider:
“DePaul University is grateful to Commissioner Aresco and our Big East colleagues for the collegial discussions that have allowed us to leave in 2013 and begin our new league. We are excited about the opportunities this endeavor will afford our student-athletes, coaches and fans. We wish the ongoing football members the very best as they establish their footprint in the college football landscape.”
This is from a joint statement released by the other six members of The Catholic Seven:
“We are grateful to Commissioner Michael Aresco for spearheading an agreement that truly represents the best path forward for each of our great institutions and the thousands of student-athletes who compete for our schools annually. It is a great credit to Mike, our colleagues, and all involved that we were able to work through a host of highly complex and time-sensitive issues in such a short period of time. We are pleased that we reached this amicable and mutually-beneficial separation by approaching each issue with a spirit of cooperation and shared respect.”
It’s being reported that after The Catholic Seven officially takes the “Big East” name, they will reach out to Dayton and Xavier to join the new Big East. As for the other teams that remain from the original Big East {Cincinnati, Louisville, Connecticut, South Florida, Rutgers, and Temple}, and the new teams scheduled to join that group on July 1st {Houston, Memphis, Central Florida, and Southern Methodist}, ESPN is reporting that $85 million will be split evenly among those institutions for their loyalty.
Also on July 1st, Pittsburgh and Syracuse will be leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame was originally scheduled to join the ACC in 2014. But with these new developments, Notre Dame has decided that they will try to join the ACC on July 1st along with Pittsburgh and Syracuse instead of waiting.
The only other options on the table for the Fighting Irish are to either stay in what will become of the original Big East, or join the new Big East until 2014. Hopefully DePaul will have a brighter future ahead of them now that they are once again part of a conference focused on basketball.
You can always follow me on Twitter: @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
Back In December, I wrote about DePaul leaving the Big East Conference for a new conference at later date. Well after today it appears that the move will be sooner than originally planned.
DePaul along with the other Roman Catholic schools in the Big East {Marquette, Villanova, St. Johns, Georgetown, Providence, and Seton Hall}, are planning to form their own conference in which basketball will be the main priority.
This was done in response to the recent trend of conference realignment intended to serve college football. “The Catholic Seven” as they are dubbed have either never had football programs {Seton Hall and Providence}, abandoned their football programs {DePaul, Marquette, and St. Johns}, or play football in lower divisions {Georgetown and Villanova}.
The Big East Conference was founded in 1979 as a basketball only conference. The purpose of the league was to form a union with Division 1 east coast universities who’s primary sport is basketball. Over the years the conference grew larger and by 1991, the conference started fielding football.
From 2003-2005 the Big East saw a major transition within it’s membership. Big East powerhouses Miami-FL, Boston College, and Virginia Tech had departed for the Atlantic Coast Conference where they are still members to this day.
But the conference bounced back from these losses by managing to pull DePaul, Marquette, Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida away from Conference USA. Since 2010 the Big East has continued to expand it’s football operations while leaving basketball at a stand still.
Because of the recent movements to make the Big East a football “super conference”, The Catholic Seven have decided to form their own path and create a conference similar to the old Great Midwest Conference which existed from 1990-1994.
It was originally said that the move won’t happen until July of either 2014 or 2015. Today, there are reports that the move could take place as soon as July of this year. It’s also been said that the universities of St. Louis, Dayton, and Xavier could also join.
Those three schools were charter members of the Great Midwest. Xavier and St. Louis are also Catholic institutions. Other details that have been reported include a possible major television deal with Fox Sports. Later this year, Fox will be changing it’s Fuel TV and Speed Channel stations to become Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2.
It’s being said that adding DePaul’s new conference will be major part of that transition. But the biggest issue is what the name of the conference will be. ESPN is reporting that The Catholic Seven could keep the Big East name for a hefty price.
Current Big East commissioner Mike Aresco, has been in closed door meetings with the remaining schools as well as schools slated to join between July of this year and 2015. The purpose of the meetings is to decide how the remaining and future members will forge ahead.
Because of this recent activity, Boise State and San Diego State have backed out of their commitments to join the Big East in July. Instead they have decided to remain in the Mountain West and have signed long term deals with the conference.
According to Sports Illustrated, Notre Dame will be the most effected if these moves become official. The Fighting Irish are still independent from a football standpoint, but the basketball program was to remain in the Big East until 2015. From there they would move onto the ACC.
The Golden Domers from South Bend are now deciding whether or not to join the Catholic Seven until they move to the ACC, or try to move to the ACC ahead of schedule. Whatever the case may be, whatever the name of the league may be, DePaul’s future is looking brighter from a organizational stand point.
Now they just need to perform better on the basketball court. Chicago now has the potential to truly be a leader in the college basketball world.
The scene after a mini-brawl midway through the second half.
History seems to keep repeating itself for the DePaul Blue Demons as tonight another second half breakdown winds up costing them the game. DePaul had led UConn 37-34 at halftime.
When the second half began, the Demons initially picked up where the left off. After getting ahead 49-47, the Demons started to miss shots and UConn was able to turn them into points.
They went on a 10-0 run and left DePaul scoreless for two whole minutes. UConn’s Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatwright, and Omar Calhoun led the charge and began to hit one shot after another.
After Connecticut went up by 10 midway through, the Blue Demons got desperate and started taking shots at will with little success. UConn went on another run of 8-5 and never looked back.
The Huskies shot 11-22 from three point range, 30-50 from the field, forced 11 turnovers. DePaul still made a valiant defensive effort despite their short comings on offense.
The Demons forced 17 UConn turnovers with 14 of those turnovers coming from steals. They also had some blocked shots and they kept UConn out of the paint.
Of course the Huskies would adjust by going nuts from the three point line. Oliver Purnell’s team was unable to stop Connecticut from hitting those shots as they kept finding open guys in pressure situations.
Eventually the Demons defense looked lost out there. And before you knew it, UConn’s biggest lead was 20 points. It was a rough day for both the Blue Demons and the 8,660 fans who showed up in force tonight.
Tonight was the last chance for the Demons to salvage their forgettable season. Now it’s just about trying to finish the season on a positive note.
Next up for DePaul is their second to last home game of the 2012-2013 season when the Louisville Cardinals come to Rosemont on Wednesday night.
After that the Blue Demons finsh the regular season on the road with games at South Florida and Syracuse, then come home to wrap things up with Pittsburgh.
After that it’s onto to New York City for the Big East Conference Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Here is the box score from tonight’s game: And here is what Coach Purnell had to say after the game:
For sports anytime you can follow me on Twitter @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
Just about everyone here at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont is out of breath after the first half we all just witnessed. It’s been back and forth from the opening tip. DePaul’s biggest lead was five, UConn’s biggest lead was six. This game has been tied four times with just two lead changes.
The Huskies have been draining three pointers but the Demons have countered by attacking the basket and forcing UConn to foul putting them at the free throw line.
The Demons have also been able to score on a few fast breaks. On defense DePaul has been doing slightly better with the rebounds. Even though the Huskies lead 16-12 in that category, DePaul has done better then they did in the first halves of their last two games.
DePaul is still struggling in the turnover department as they coughed up the ball six times. But they also forced nine turnovers so it balances itself out.
Cleveland Melvin leads the Blue Demons with 10 points and 6 rebounds. If the Demons are going to stay ahead and win this game, they will need to do the following:
Keep up the pressure on defense, continue to rebound, continue to force turnovers, take away the three point shot and score, score, score. This would be a huge win to lift the spirits of this DePaul team.
Now let’s see if the Demons can keep up this pace and take home their 12th win of the 2012-2013 season. Here are the current stats:
You can keep following me on Twitter @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
The Allstate Arena is empty at the moment, but soon enough both teams will be taking the court for warm ups and the fans will begin to file into Rosemont.
Tonight the DePaul Blue Demons are looking to win consecutive home games for the first time since December when they won three home games in a row.
That task will be easier said than done as the power house Connecticut Huskies make their way into the Windy City tonight. The 18-7 (8-5 Big East) Huskies have won four of their last six, not bad for a team that’s barred from postseason play this year.
Despite the fact that they are on probation, they have played hard all year and are one of the top teams in the Big East Conference this season.
What makes their accomplishments this year even more special is the fact that their roster has six underclassmen. And all of them have done their part to make this team successful.
As for the Demons, they are trying to salvage what’s left of yet another failing season. DePaul is just 2-11 in conference play this year and 11-15 overall.
Their last home game was seven days ago against Rutgers, DePaul pulled it all together and won 75-69. Earlier this week Oliver Purnell’s bunch traveled to Washington D.C. where they were pounded on by Georgetown by the final score of 90-66.
UConn is just as talented as G’Town if not more. So DePaul will need a team effort and a lot of luck if they are going to get a victory here tonight.
Both teams are even size wise but that’s where the similarities end. The Huskies are a hard nosed defensive team. They don’t make a whole lot of mistakes, and they can score both inside and outside.
DePaul will need to jump on them early if they are to have a chance to win this game. They need to get physical with UConn, protect the paint, and contain the perimeter. Grabbing a few rebounds wouldn’t hurt either.
On offense the Demons need to limit turnovers, score early and often, assert themselves when it comes to offensive rebounding, and put pressure on the Connecticut defense.
The formula always sounds easy but once the game begins it will be a lot harder. You can follow me during the game on Twitter @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
Today was a very competitive day for Chicagoland college basketball with two major televised games on the schedule this afternoon. One game was nationally televised, the other was regionally televised.
First up was the nationally televised game between DePaul and Rutgers in a Big East Conference match up in Rosemont. The Demons were looking to end a nine game losing streak while Rutgers was looking to climb out of the gutter in the standings.
The first half was back and forth for both teams. The Blue Demons and the Scarlett Knights were both scoring at will and would not be denied. The game was tied at 32 at halftime.
In the second half DePaul put the pressure on Rutgers as Worrel Clahar, Cleveland Melvin, Brandon Young, and Donnavan Kirk all scored in double figures for the Demons.
They would need those performances as they only got nine points off of their bench. A key injury to Rutgers guard Eli Carter took the pressure off of Oliver Purnell’s team halfway through the second half.
DePaul led by as much as 12 late in the second half, but it looked like they were about to blow another lead. Rutgers guard Myles Mack scored 14 of his 28 total points late in the half to tie it at 62 with two minutes left.
The Blue Demons would rally thanks to big shots by Worrel Clahar and Cleveland Melvin and finish the game on a 13-7 run to take home a 75-69 victory and pick up their second conference win of the season.
DePaul is now 11-14 overall and 2-10 in the Big East for a tie for ninth place in the standings with Seton Hall. The Demons will get a couple days to enjoy their victory before hitting the road to take on the mighty Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday night.
As for the regionally televised contest, Loyola and UIC battled it out at the Gentile Center in Rogers Park. The Flames already had a leg up on the Ramblers in the season series after a two-point victory back on January 16th.
But today the action shifted away from the UIC Pavilion and Howard Moore’s group entered hostile territory. It looked like it was going to be a defensive battle to the very end.
Especially when the first three minutes of the game were scoreless and only eight total points were scored in the first five minutes. It appeared that without Ben Averkamp and Cully Payne in the lineup, Porter Moser’s squad was going to have a hard time contending with UIC’s size advantage.
The Ramblers would counter the Flame’s size with their speed and quickness. Loyola’s defense also did a solid job as they held Illinois-Chicago guard Gary Talton to just 10 points. They also managed to slow down Flames center Josh Crittle.
Crittle only had 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks before fouling out in the second half. Loyola kept hitting one shot after another and had built up a 14-point lead at one point.
The Flames did try to battle back late in the game with runs of 9-2 and 8-3. But UIC’s foul trouble would come back to haunt them in the final minutes as Loyola would go 6-8 from the free throw line to stay ahead for good.
Loyola would defend their home court successfully and tie the season series at one game each with a 69-60 victory. Christian Thomas would come up big filling in for Ben Averkamp as he led all scorers with 23 points.
Jordan Hicks would contribute 18 and Devon Turk scored 10 in place of Cully Payne. The Flames are now 15-11 overall with a 6-7 Horizon League record.
They are now fifth place in the conference and this loss puts them back on the postseason bubble. As for Loyola, they are now 14-12 overall with a 4-9 Horizon League record. They are only a game and-a-half ahead of last place Wisconsin-Milwaukee as they fight to salvage their season.
The Flames can rebound with a victory over last place UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday night. As for Loyola, they have now broken their four-game losing streak and they improve to 5-1 against Chicago area teams.
But it doesn’t get any easier for them as they have to go to Valparaiso on Tuesday. The first place Crusaders have already defeated the Ramblers once this season.
The season is not over yet, stay tuned…… You can follow on Twitter @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports for constant updates
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