DePaul Looks to Split the Season Series
On January 11th, DePaul travelled to New York to play St. John’s. In a hotly contested game, the Red Storm prevailed after DePaul’s Jalen Coleman-Lands failed to connect on 2 of 3 free throws that would have narrowed the gap to 2 points. After St. John’s knocked down several free-throws, DePaul ultimately lost by 7.
The Setup
DePaul hosts St. John’s at Wintrust Arena at 1PM on January 25, 2020. The game is on FS1, channel 237 on Comcast.
Team Trends
St. John’s has lost 6 of their last 7, with their sole win in the stretch against DePaul. In that game DePaul massively lost the turnover battle and shot terrible from 3 point range.
DePaul, coming off another loss to Creighton, has lost 5 of the last 6, with their one win against Butler last Saturday. The one stat that DePaul has been on the wrong side of in all of their loses has been the battle of the 3. In games in which DePaul shot under 25% from 3 point range, they are 2-4.
Tale of the Tape
Both teams are excellent at offensive rebounds and below average at defensive rebounds. St. John’s is horrific at 3 point shooting and 2 point shooting, while excellent at protecting the ball and getting steals. The Red Storm is 2nd in the country at generating steals, while DePaul is 16th. Both teams cause tons of turnovers, but DePaul is one of the worst at giving up the ball, while the Johnnies protect the ball incredibly well.
The only way that St. John’s sticks around is by taking more shots than their opponents due to generating more steals and not turning it over. In their frenzy, they get a high percentage of offensive rebounds which leads to additional chances.
The Red Storm substitute frequently. In most games 6 to 7 guys will play at least 20 minutes, and 9 guys will play at least 10 minutes. They try to wear you down. They have the 19th fastest tempo in the country.
Who Hurt the Demons Last Time?
Mustapha Heron
6’5″ Senior swing man, had 15 points on 3-6 shooting from 3 Point land along with 4 assists. He has been the most consistent Johnnie in Big East play. He is coming off of an 18 point game against Marquette. He is now shooting 38% from distance.
LJ Figueroa
Figueroa, 6’6″ Junior Small Forward, owns the Johnnies highest usage rate. He didn’t hurt the Demons last time, but he is a dangerous player. He shoots 33.6% from 3 point land, which is now 2nd best on the team. He will be guarded by Romeo Weems. In the first meeting, Figueroa spent a lot of his time in foul trouble, only playing 22 minutes. He finished with 9 points, with his 3rd worst offensive rating on the season.
Raheem Dunn
6’2″ Junior point guard was the game MVP with 19 points, 5 assists, and 8 rebounds.
Julian Champagnie
6’8″ Freshman big man, Champagnie, is second on the team in minutes behind Figueroa. He has a 170 offensive rating in the first game making 11 points on perfect 4-4 shooting.
What is Going to Happen on Saturday?
St. John’s is not a super tall team, but matches up quite well with the Demons. With their frenetic style, they play a lot of dudes. Their main starters go, 6’3″, 6’5″, 6’6″, 6’8″, and 6’9″.
The biggest issue is depth. St. John’s plays nine guys rotating them constantly as they match-up for the entire length of the court. In the first game, Paul Reed was out for 12 minutes of the game due to some team chemistry stuff, and Romeo Weems was in constant foul trouble, playing only 13 minutes. DePaul players turned the ball over 19 times, while the Red Storm only turned it over 8 times. Ultimately, that, and the fact that the Demons shot 20% from 3 point land, was the difference in the game.
If DePaul’s guards can be calm on the ball on offense, and the Blue Demons can shoot their season percentage from 3-point land, the Men in Blue will prevail.
Let’s get it.
One thought on “Blue Demons Host St. John’s: Vincentian Throw Down II”