For a perennially struggling program, DePaul got no breaks from the Big East office when it came to their schedule. They open up conference play with four games in 10 days, including three road games (at Georgetown, at Marquette, at Butler) and a home game against Creighton sandwiched in between. It’s the sort of stretch that gives them almost no chance at building momentum, and sure enough, they dropped the first two games of that stretch — and are 11 point underdogs at home tonight to the Bluejays.
In the opener at Georgetown, they had two significant offensive droughts that hampered their chances at victory. The Blue Demons made just one field goal over the first 11 minutes of the game, rallied to take a lead, then were on the wrong side of a 14-2 run to end the first half behind 29-25. A six-minute drought in the second half allowed Georgetown to extend their lead, and they went on to win 61-54. Their guards led the way in the loss, with Billy Garrett leading the Demons with 17 points on 5-10 shooting, and Brandon Young scoring 13.
Against Marquette, forward Cleveland Melvin knocked down five 3-pointers, including three in a row during a first-half stretch that helped them build a 30-26 lead. DePaul led as late at the 7-minute mark, but their defense surrendered 40 second-half points to the Golden Eagles, who won 66-56.
Though they’ve been unable to close games out, this team has enough talent to compete and be in most games. They’re led by a pair of seniors from Baltimore who both average in double-figures, Cleveland Melvin (15.8 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) and Brandon Young (13.4 ppg., 4.2 rpg.). The 6’8″ Melvin’s name is all over DePaul’s record book, as he’s fourth in school history with 684 field goals, fifth in blocks with 118, and sixth all-time in points with 1,695, while also ranking 20th all-time in rebounds with 677. A preseason second-team All Big East selection, Melvin has three double-doubles so far and already has 26 three-pointers after making just 15 a year ago.
Young, a 6’4″ guard, is the only player in DePaul history with 1,200 points, 400 assists and 100 three-pointers, and the first player since the great Rod Strickland to have 100 or more assists in three straight seasons. DePaul’s media notes compare the two, pointing out that over his three seasons, Strickland totaled 1,448 points and 557 assists while Young totaled 1,378 points and 408 assists through the end of his junior campaign.
But it’s their sensational freshmen that have stolen the spotlight — their incoming players have earned four of the seven Big East Rookie of the Week awards so far this year. Tommy Hamilton IV averaged 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds over DePaul’s first three games of the season, opening his collegiate career with an impressive 16-point, 11-rebound double-double against Grambling State on November 9. The Chicago native achieved the feat in the first half alone with 11 points and 10 boards against the Tigers. For the season, Hamilton averages 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds a game.
Billy Garrett, Jr. has earned the award three separate times, with the first one coming after putting together his first double-double and averaging 10.7 points and 4.3 assists in three games against Wichita State, Texas and Oregon State. He earned a second nod after wins over Florida Atlantic and Chicago State; in the latter, he scored eight of DePaul’s first 10 points in overtime to lead the Blue Demons to the seven-point win over Chicago State, and finished with 17 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists. He made the game-winning basket at Northwestern for a 57-56 win on December 27, finishing with nine points, four assists, two blocked shots, two rebounds and a steal, and won his third Rookie of the Week honor.
For the season, DePaul averages 71.5 points per game, while shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from three-point range and 66.9 percent at the line. They’re likely one of the worst teams in the Big East, but that they have top-tier talent, and are capable of being competitive and winning games is a testament to the depth of the league — there’s no gimmes in the Big East. Creighton is favored by double-digits, and that’s a very achievable feat. Don’t be surprised if this one’s close throughout, though.
About the Blue Demons: DePaul head coach Oliver Purnell is in his fourth season at DePaul and his 26th as a head coach at the collegiate level … A win would end a 45-game losing streak for DePaul against ranked opponents, as their last win over a ranked-team was an 84-76 victory over No. 17/16 Villanova on Jan. 3, 2008 at Allstate Arena … The four straight road games that finished at Marquette on Saturday was the longest run of consecutive regular-season road games since the 2000-01 season … In the last six games, the Blue Demons have totaled 37 blocked shots (6.2 bpg) … DePaul has outrebounded its opponent in 11 games with an 8-3 record in those games, after outrebounding the opponent in just 12 games (8-4 record) in the entire 2012-13 season … DePaul is in its 34th season in 2013-14 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. The Blue Demons are 322-153 (.678) all-time in Rosemont.
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Creighton has started 12-2 or better through 14 games in each of the last three seasons, and five times since 2002-03 (also 2002-03 and 2003-04). The only other teams besides Creighton to start 12-2 or better each of the last three years are Syracuse, Missouri, Illinois, Gonzaga and Louisville … Creighton had just four turnovers in 66 possessions vs. Seton Hall on Saturday, its fewest in any games of Greg McDermott’s 124-game tenure on the Bluejay sideline, and their fewest overall since having three miscues on Feb. 1, 2005 in a win vs. Wichita State, a span of 335 games … Creighton has won seven straight games heading into Tuesday, the fifth different win streak of seven or longer in the four years of the Greg McDermott Era … A victory on Tuesday would give CU a 4-0 road record to start the second straight season; before doing it last year, the Jays had not won their first four true road games since 2003-04.
The RUN-DMD Show: Doug McDermott celebrated his first game since his 22nd birthday with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 13-point road win at Seton Hall. McDermott is Creighton’s first player with a 30/10/5 line in the same game since Benoit Benjamin had 45 points, 16 rebounds and five assists on January 19, 1985 vs. Indiana State.
Out of Context Ron Swanson Quote: “Shorts over six inches are capri pants, shorts under six inches are European.”
The Last Time They Played: On December 23, 2008, Creighton defeated DePaul 83-75 to win the Las Vegas Classic. Booker Woodfox scored 26 points en route to tournament MVP honors, making 7-of-12 shots from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, and also hitting all seven of his free-throw attempts. He was particularly hot early, when he helped the Jays build a 23-9 edge after eight minutes with a 35-foot three-pointer and a circus-shot from the baseline that he converted into a three-point play. They needed all 26 of his points, thanks to being destroyed on the glass — DePaul’s Mac Koshwal had 22 (!) rebounds by himself and the Blue Demons out-rebounded Creighton 42-28.
The Series: DePaul owns a 15-7 edge in 22 all-time games, and the Bluejays have won just four of 12 contests played in Chicago — including losses in each of their last seven true road games against DePaul in the windy city.
However, Creighton is 8-1 in its last nine games played in the state of Illinois, including six straight victories.
Gratuitous Linkage: Doug McDermott, used to being greeted with heckles of “Daddy’s Boy” at various stops, “You’re Adopted!” at Drake, and unprintable nonsense at Wichita, got a much different greeting at Seton Hall on Saturday: admiration. As Brendan Prunty of the South Jersey Times writes, he was bombarded with requests for autographs and pictures after the game from fans just happy to have watched him in action.
This Date in Creighton Hoops History: On January 7, 2004, Creighton moved to 11-0 for the first time since 1942 with a 56-55 road win at Illinois State. They trailed 20-19 at the half and 50-38 with 7:25 to play, but Brody Deren and Kellen Milliner keyed a late-game comeback. Tied at 52, Nate Funk buried a three to put CU ahead, but the Redbirds’ Trey Guidry answered with a three of his own to tie the game at 55. On the final possession, Johnny Mathies took the ball to the rim and drew a foul with 1.4 seconds on the clock; he made one of two free throws, and after a defensive stop, the Jays escaped with the victory.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day:
The Bottom Line: Playing in front of their second-straight subdued crowd, Creighton starts out slow but grinds out a win to move to 3-0.
Jays 78, DePaul 67