This is going to be a short post. There will be no video highlights. There will be no “good job by you” section. DePaul blew it. With all the momentum in the word, with a hungry fan base being reawakened, with national media paying attention, DePaul has blown it by losing 6 of their first 7 Big East games. Could they rebound and win 7 or the final 11 games? It’s possible, but unlikely because they have lost the ability to hit from 3 point range, while also losing the ability to stop their opponent from hitting from distance.
Quick Recap of the Game
The path to success in this game was laid out in the pregame post, limit turnovers, rebound to a draw, shoot 30% from 3 and hold the Johnnies to under 35% from 3.
Limit Turnovers? DePaul did great! They had 3 less Turnovers than the Red Storm!
Rebound to a Draw? Yes! The Demons had one more than St. John’s!
I’m loving it, tell me more. So the Demons Only had to shoot 30% from 3 Point Land and have the Red Storm shoot under 35%? I like our chances.
From 3, St. John’s shot 40.6% and DePaul shot 16%, and there goes the Conference season.
DePaul Struggled in the first half but went to the half tied. LJ Figueroa of St. John’s killed the Demons going 5-9 from 3 point range almost single-handedly keeping the Red Storm in the game. After starting 2-6 from 3 point land, The Demons went 1 for their next 7 in the half to end 3-13 (23%) from 3. Charlie Moore had 5 assists and zero turnovers. No one player shot particularly well.
DePaul’s plan was to throw it inside and overpower the Red Storm. This sounded great on paper, but it seemed like any time the Demons received the ball, the ball was being slapped or bumped, and the close shots ended up not being easy buckets. From inside the arc, DePaul was 9-17 (53.%) in the half. The Johnnies were 3-9 (33.3%) from 2, and 32% from 3, making 7 key 3 pointers. This illustrates 3 point math. DePaul had 18 points from 2 on 53% shooting, St. John’s had 21 points from 3 on 32% shooting. It’s crazy! 3 is greater than 2!
The 2nd Half
Mustapha Heron started the half with a 3 pointer and began warming up. With 17:18 left, Paul Reed hit 1 of 2 free-throws to put DePaul up for the last time in the game. A 3 and a half minute drought by DePaul signaled their doom. The Johnnies hit 2 layups and 2 three pointers to go up 9.
It took until 6:51 for DePaul to get back within 3. After a couple of near steals and immediate turning the ball back over, the wheels fell off. A dunk, a jumper, and a back breaking 3 pointer brought the score to 63-55, and the game never really felt in doubt again. Ultimately, DePaul lost by 13. DePaul managed to go 7-23 (30.4%) from 2 and 1-12 (8.33%) from 3 in the 2nd half. Unbelievable.
Deep Obvious Analysis of The Game and Conference Play
DePaul lost to a St. John’s team that was shooting 25.3% from 3 point range in conference play. The Red Storm shot 40.6% murdering the Demons from deep going 13 for 32. DePaul, coming off their worst 3 point shooting night of the season against Creighton, shot even worse at 16% on 4-25 shooting from 3. You are going to lose if you opponent outscores you by 27 points from 3 point range.
Let’s Break It Down
If You Are In A Defensive Slump, Play DePaul
The Blue Demons have shot under 25% from 3 Point Land in 5 of the 7
If you are in an Offensive Slump, Play DePaul
The Demons have allowed 5 of their Big East Opponents to shot over 35% from 3.
The Blue Demons are at the Intersection of Bad 3 Point Shooting and Bad 3 Point Defense
DePaul Is in the Bad-Bad Quadrant
You want to be a great 3 point Shooting Team, and a great 3 Point Defending Team, Like Villanova, Seton Hall, and Creighton.
You can be a great 3 Point Shooting Team, and a bad 3 Point Defending Team, Like Georgetown.
You can be a bad 3 Point Shooting Team, and a Great 3 Point Defending Team, Like Xavier, St. John’s and Providence.
You cannot be both a bad 3 Point Shooting Team, and a bad 3 Point Defending Team. This is where we find our DePaul Blue Demons.
Why Hasn’t DePaul Signed an Elite 3 Point Shooter?
The Blue Demons are the only team that does not have a player shooting at least 33% from 3 point land in conference games. Jalen Coleman-Lands is at 29.4%, and he is the best of the lot for DePaul.
Butler has 1. Villanova has 2 that shoot over 39%. Creighton has 2 that shoot 40%. Seton Hall has 2 over 33%. Xavier has 2 over 41% and a 3rd at 33%. Providence has 1. Georgetown has two over 38% and a 3rd at 33%. Marquette has 4. St. John’s has 1. DePaul has ZERO.
In modern basketball, teams shoot a ton of 3 pointers. DePaul and Georgetown shoot the fewest attempts of any teams in the Big East, and the Blue Demons are the worst at it.
The simple math is the killer. How can the Demons be competitive when everyone else shoots more of them and are much better at converting them? How can the Demons be competitive when they are the 2nd worst at defending them?
We play Seton Hall next.
The End.
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