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The road to March Madness has officially begun tonight as the first round of the 2013 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament got under way. Illinois-Chicago and Loyola were at the forefront of tonight’s action.
The 5th seeded UIC Flames got to play one final home game tonight as they opened the tournament against 8th seeded Cleveland State. The CSU Vikings had beaten the Flames in both regular season meetings this year.
Those defeats had motivated the Flames and as they took the court at the UIC Pavilion one final time, they would not be denied. The Flames dominated from start to finish.
Center Josh Crittle was the torch that burned brightly for the Flames tonight as he scored a career-high 20 points which led all scorers. He also went 10-12 from the free throw line, and added 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.
Guard Daniel Barnes also had a hot hand as he pitched in with 16 points, shot 4-7 from three point range, and led his team with two steals. Gary Talton added 11 points and 5 assists, while forwards Hayden Humes and Marc Brown scored 10 points each.
UIC has truly redeemed themselves from their regular season failures against the Vikings. They used their size and speed advantage to punish CSU and take home an 82-59 victory. Illinois-Chicago out-rebounded Cleveland State 45-32, and forced 12 turnovers.
While things were all gravy on the West Side, the North Side was not so lucky. Loyola lost their first round game to Youngstown State 62-60. Loyola has struggled against Youngstown this year as they lost both regular season encounters.
This was a tale of two halves for the 7th seeded Ramblers. YSU took a 12-4 lead early on, but after a timeout Loyola was back into it and tied the game at 19. The two teams would be tied at 29 at the break. In the second half Loyola got busy right off the bat.
They took a 40-34 lead midway through, but that’s when things started to fall apart for Loyola. YSU came back to tie the game and both teams would trade shots until the final minute. The 6th seeded Penguins would win the game on a last second jump shot from D.J. Cole.
Ben Averkamp’s 14 points and Jordan Hicks’ 12 points just weren’t enough on this night. There will be no celebration in Rogers Park tonight.
The final opening game of the night would see the 4th seeded Wisconsin-Green Bay end the misery of the 9th seeded Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 62-46. As the Panthers head home down I-43, they can now begin to improve for next year.
UIC moves onto the quarterfinals to go toe-to-toe with the same Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix team. They split the regular season series 1-1 this year. The Flames will need another monster game from both Josh Crittle and Daniel Barnes if they are going to win this rubber match and advance to the semifinals.
Waiting in the wings is the top seeded, regular season champion Valparaiso Crusaders. As for Youngstown State, they have the pleasure of going up against interstate rival Wright State who took the 3rd seed in this years tournament.
Who ever wins this battle of Ohio mid-majors will have the difficult task of playing 2nd seeded Detroit in the semifinals.
Every game from this point on will be on a neutral site as Valparaiso hosts the remainder of the tournament. The festivities resume on Friday night.
Currently UIC is now 17-14 and have improved their postseason chances. They could be in the very tip of the bubble for the NCAA Tourament. But at this point, a bid to either the NIT, CBA, or CIT seems like a better chance.
As for the Ramblers, they finish with back-to-back losing seasons. Although their record of 15-16 is a complete turn around from last year’s 7-23 season, it may not be good enough to get even a CBI or CIT bid.
Wednesday afternoon at 1:30, tune into http://www.sportstownchicago.com/home.cfm and click on the listen live link. I will once again be joining the “Cooley and Chivari” show, where I will give my analysis on the opening round of the Horizon League tournament.
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
As DePaul prepared for their second round with Notre Dame today, the Blue Demons still have a positive vibe in their locker room despite being in the midst of an eight game losing streak.
Two weeks ago, the Blue Demons lost to the Fighting Irish at Allstate Arena in overtime. But despite that loss, we learned a lot about Oliver Purnell’s squad.
We learned that they can play at a high level, they can shoot when they need too, and they have heart despite their failure to finish games.
Tomorrow’s game in South Bend will be bigger. DePaul will be looking to end their eight game slide, and they will be looking to defeat the Irish for the first time in six years.
A win tomorrow would also be their first victory at Notre Dame since 2004. Then there is the fact that the Demons are trying to salvage their season.
As for the Irish, they also have plenty to play for… They are looking to continue their momentum since their amazing five overtime victory over Louisville this past weekend.
They are also looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since January. They hope to catch both Pittsburgh and Marquette in the Big East standings and inch their way into the top three in the conference.
They also want to move up in the top 25 poll, a loss might be enough to knock them out of the rankings. Notre Dame’s biggest goal right now, is to get a double-bye in the Big East tournament next month.
I expect both teams to come out and light up the court in this ongoing battle between two legendary programs. DePaul know’s what they need to do in order to win tomorrow night.
Even though they haven’t had much to cheer about this season, they keep a positive attitude and look at every game as a fresh start.
Oliver Purnell has done a damn good job keeping his team prepared and focused. The issue has been applying the hard work in practice to game day.
The problem has been playing mistake-free basketball, the problem has been inconsistency. But through it all, the 2012-2013 DePaul Blue Demons have held their heads up high and have dealt with this adversity with class and integrity.
DePaul can’t afford another loss if they are going to have ANY hopes of playing in the postseason. Tomorrow is the make or break game for the Blue Demons.
After practice head coach Oliver Purnell spoke with the media:
I managed to get an exclusive interview with DePaul forward Jamee Crockett:
I also got to talk to Blue Demons forward Donnavan Kirk one-on-one:
The Final Score:
After an uptempo first half in which DePaul kept up with Villanova every step of the way, the second half was a completely different story. The Blue Demons missed their first few shots and the Wildcats were able to turn them into points.
Eventually Villanova got on a 21-10 run and put DePaul’s back against the wall. That wall would crumble and fall as the game went on and things only got worse.
At one point DePaul didn’t score for three minutes in the second half, and in that same time frame Villanova scored 15 points. Donnavan Kirk and Darrel Robertson saw significantly less playing time in the second half because of foul trouble.
Villanova used their size advantage to take control of the paint in the absence of DePaul’s big men. Midway through the half fans started leaving the Allstate Arena in frustration of DePaul’s failures tonight.
There were even negative chants directed towards Demons head coach Oliver Purnell. There were some questionable calls by the officials during tonight’s game, but those calls did nothing to effect the outcome of this contest.
Blue Demons forward Cleveland Melvin gave a valiant effort as he led his team in scoring with 19 points. Jamee Crockett, the other forward finished second with 16.
Brandon Young pitched in with 11, and Worrell Clahar scored 12 which were all earned by three point shots. Despite decent outside shooting by the Demons, it was the inside scoring and defense that suffered tonight.
Without Kirk and Robertson, DePaul was outscored in the paint 42-10. They were also out-rebounded 33-27. The Wildcats also scored 22 points off of 16 Demon turnovers.
Overall it ended up being another bad night for the DePaul Blue Demons as they drop their seventh in-a-row by the final score of 94-71. This is the second time this season in which the Demons gave up 90 or more points.
They are now 10-12 overall, 1-7 in the Big East. Villanova breaks their losing streak and they are now 13-9 overall, 4-5 in the Big East. After the game DePaul forward Jamee Crocket said “We were a little exhausted, but that’s no excuse. We didn’t execute, we didn’t follow the game plan, and we didn’t play well”.
Cleveland Melvin told reporters “We can’t think about this game too much. We gotta worry about the next game and get ready for Marquette. We need to just stick to the game plan. If we can get better on defense, our game plan will work.”
DePaul will indeed make the trip up I-94 to take on Marquette this Saturday. Villanova returns to Philadelphia to take on South Florida this weekend. DePaul cannot afford anymore than one more less if they are to have any chance a t postseason berth.
Here are the stats from tonight’s game:
Here the post-game press conferences for both DePaul and Villanova:
Oliver Purnell:
Villanova:
For all things sports, you can follow me anytime on Twitter @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
Cleveland Melvin leads DePaul with 13 points.
DePaul scored the first bucket of the game but then things quickly got out of hand. Villanova went on a 16-10 run and then the game was back and forth from there.
Turnovers by both teams along with multiple foul calls and missed shots really kept this one tight. The first half had seven ties and three lead changes.
At one point ‘Nova led by as much as seven while DePaul’s biggest lead was four. Cleveland Melvin leads the Demons with 13 points, he is the only Demon in double figures so far.
Worrell Clahar has nine points all of which came from three point shots. Ryan Arcidiacono and James Bell lead Villanova as they combined for 18 points and 9-21 shooting.
The Demons defense has looked shaky at times. They have given up easy shots and just as I predicted they also bring it in the paint. Darrel Robertson Jr. is in foul trouble for DePaul already has he has three fouls.
Which is bad for them because he is the biggest player on the roster and DePaul will need him to take on Villanova’s big men down the stretch. It’s been a crazy one so far, let’s see if the Demons and keep up this tempo in the second half.
You can continue to follow on Twitter for updates @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
Here are the halftime stats:
Both teams are on the floor for early warm-ups.
Tonight the Blue Demons find themselves in a very difficult position. As they take on the Villanova Wildcats in another Big East Conference game, they do so as losers of their last six. All of those losses have been conference games.
Currently DePaul is 10-11 (1-7 Big East) this season. If they are to have any chance of making the NCAA or NIT tournaments, they will have to win at least eight of their next 10 games. It’s easier said than done but not impossible.
Tonight the Blue Demons could pull off the victory. All they need to do is take advantage of Villanova’s own losing streak. The Wildcats from the City of Brotherly Love are coming off of back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Providence.
Brandon Young, Cleveland Melvin, and Jamee Crockett have been the leaders for this DePaul team. Even though they have lost six in-a-row, the Demons have kept it close in some of these games.
In their last game against Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish needed overtime to put DePaul away. The Blue Demons came from behind late in the second half to take a four point lead late in the game. Just a few days before that at St. Johns, the Demons also forced overtime before that one was said and done.
The Demons have been getting the best from their players, but the issue has been the inability to sustain leads and hold it down on defense. DePaul will certainly be tested tonight as Villanova has quite the size advantage.
The Wildcats have four starters who are 6’6″ or taller while DePaul only has two starters taller than that. Look for Villanova to test the Blue Demons inside early and often in this nationally televised encounter.
Oliver Purnell’s group will need to dig deep, come up big on defense, and limit mistakes if they are going to walk out of Allstate Arena with the win this evening.
If the Demons want to get into the post season, they need to start a winning streak now. At this point it’s now or never.
You can follow me on Twitter for game updates @GabeSalgado82 #Q101Sports
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