The DePaul Blue Demons host rival Marquette. The Golden Eagles currently sit in 5th place in the Big East with a 9-9 record. As we all know, DePaul is in the cellar with a 2-14 record in conference play. This game will be a contest of contrasts. Marquette has an excellent offense that lives by the 3 and dies by the 3, while the Blue Demons have a horrific offense that lives by the 2 and dies by the 3, because the team takes too few and shoots them poorly.
The Setup
DePaul takes on Marquette Tuesday, March 3rd, at 7PM Central at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop. The game will be on FS1 Channel 237 on Comcast in Chicago and on Radio 670AM.
Tale of the Tape
Marquette has 6 great advantages, while DePaul has 5. Of course, Marquette is the 11th most lethal 3 point shooting team in the country shooting 38.2% as a team. That is just crazy.
Winner of the Tape: Marquette
Who Can Hurt the Demons?
Markus Howard
Howard is the highest usage guy in the country. 37.8% of all possessions end in his hands. 41.0% of all shots come from Howard, which is the highest percentage in the country. He is currently rated as #3 in the kenpom.com player of the year metric. He is pretty much a nightmare, so it would be interesting if he did not play. Who would pick up the shots?
Howard is also a clean point guard not turning the ball over at a high rate.
Sacar Anim
Anim is another deadly 3 point shooter shooting 39% behind the arc. Strangely, he only shoots 64% from the free-throw line.
Theo John
You do not have to worry about John’s offense, but he blocks 10% of all shots in a typical game. The Golden Eagles funnel drivers to him and he finishes them off.
Other Dangerous Shooters
Brendan Bailey shoots 39% from 3, while Jamal Cain and Greg Elliott shoot 40% and 39.5% from 3. All 3 of these guys typically have wide open attempts, which contributes to their deadliness.
What is Going to Happen on Tuesday?
It is Senior night. It is the last regular season game for DePaul at home. It will most likely be the last time we see Paul Reed at Wintrust in uniform (if he plays). That is why it is hard to say how the game will go. If Reed plays, DePaul has an excellent chance to win. If Reed’s hip-pointer keeps him out. Forgetaboutit.
