Gameday Pick’em #12: DePaul (7-4)
The Pundits
“DePaul is up next for Bluejays” (OWH)
“DePaul recovers after blowing lead to St. Louis” (Chicago Tribune)
“Former Palo star shines at Las Vegas Classic” (Las Vegas Sun)
The Picks
Quick turnaround for the Jays tonight. After beating Fresno State 84-65 in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Classic last night, Creighton faces DePaul for the second season in a row. Think someone is a little ticked off with last year’s result, a 74-62 season-opening win for CU? “You remember last season,” said Mac Koshwal. “Winning would be huge.” Someone isn’t over last season’s loss at the Qwest Center…
Koshwal is the key to the Blue Demons’ efforts game in and game out. He’s a fiery competitor, a physically gifted athlete in the post who averaged 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a freshman last season. This year he is pouring in 13 points and ripping down 10 rebounds per contest. At 6-10 and 255 lbs., Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker (who played 7 minutes last night coming back from a wrist injury) and Chad Millard will have their hands full.
Joining Koshwal as impact players for DePaul are Dar Tucker (18 points, 6 rebounds per game) and Will Walker (11 points, 1.6 steals per game). It might be a new season, but it is the same story with the Blue Demons; great athletes, not-so-great shooting percentages and “fundamental” basketball. While they are one of the top 50 teams in the nation in offensive rebounding (36th) and blocks (45th) per game, they shoot just 26.6% from 3-point range (332nd), 39.8% from the field overall (299th), and score just 66.5 points per game (218th overall).
The Jays will have their hands full on the glass, so it will be up to master thieves Josh Dotzler, P’Allen Stinnett, and the other Jays to turn over the Blue Demons. CU forced 21 Fresno State turnovers Monday night, and they are currently 10th in the nation in steals per game (10.3). And what they lack physically in the post compared to DePaul, they make up for from outside; the Jays’ 3-point shooters (Booker Woodfox, Kaleb Korver, etc.) are hitting an early-season stride.
What is of great interest to me is how Dana Altman will ask his team to play tempo-wise tonight. For DePaul starters played 30 minutes or more last night; in comparison, 9 Jays played between 15 and 26 minutes, with Woodfox and Cavel Witter topping out at 26 apiece.
Will Altman ask Stinnett and the others to run an up-tempo game? Can the Jays grab some rebounds for the second straight night? Will anyone show up to the Orleans Arena to see the game? These are the questions that will weigh on my mind until 9 p.m. central time tonight, when two fine private institutions of higher learning meet in Las Vegas for a championship.
Enough of this nonsense. To the picks!
(Various members of Qwest Center Section 123 will pick ‘em each and every game on this site. We’ll keep track of the winner each game, and at the end of the year you’ll be able to find one of us three buying a round or two of expensive Scottrade Center brews at Arch Madness.)
Leading Scorer
Creighton Otter: Booker Woodfox (16)
Dance Cam Guy: P’Allen Stinnett (18)
Panon: Cavel Witter (15)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Kaleb Korver (14)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (20)
Margin
Creighton Otter: Jays by 8
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 12
Panon: Jays by 11
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 13
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15
“DePaul is up next for Bluejays” (OWH)
“DePaul recovers after blowing lead to St. Louis” (Chicago Tribune)
“Former Palo star shines at Las Vegas Classic” (Las Vegas Sun)
The Picks
Quick turnaround for the Jays tonight. After beating Fresno State 84-65 in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Classic last night, Creighton faces DePaul for the second season in a row. Think someone is a little ticked off with last year’s result, a 74-62 season-opening win for CU? “You remember last season,” said Mac Koshwal. “Winning would be huge.” Someone isn’t over last season’s loss at the Qwest Center…
Koshwal is the key to the Blue Demons’ efforts game in and game out. He’s a fiery competitor, a physically gifted athlete in the post who averaged 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a freshman last season. This year he is pouring in 13 points and ripping down 10 rebounds per contest. At 6-10 and 255 lbs., Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker (who played 7 minutes last night coming back from a wrist injury) and Chad Millard will have their hands full.
Joining Koshwal as impact players for DePaul are Dar Tucker (18 points, 6 rebounds per game) and Will Walker (11 points, 1.6 steals per game). It might be a new season, but it is the same story with the Blue Demons; great athletes, not-so-great shooting percentages and “fundamental” basketball. While they are one of the top 50 teams in the nation in offensive rebounding (36th) and blocks (45th) per game, they shoot just 26.6% from 3-point range (332nd), 39.8% from the field overall (299th), and score just 66.5 points per game (218th overall).
The Jays will have their hands full on the glass, so it will be up to master thieves Josh Dotzler, P’Allen Stinnett, and the other Jays to turn over the Blue Demons. CU forced 21 Fresno State turnovers Monday night, and they are currently 10th in the nation in steals per game (10.3). And what they lack physically in the post compared to DePaul, they make up for from outside; the Jays’ 3-point shooters (Booker Woodfox, Kaleb Korver, etc.) are hitting an early-season stride.
What is of great interest to me is how Dana Altman will ask his team to play tempo-wise tonight. For DePaul starters played 30 minutes or more last night; in comparison, 9 Jays played between 15 and 26 minutes, with Woodfox and Cavel Witter topping out at 26 apiece.
Will Altman ask Stinnett and the others to run an up-tempo game? Can the Jays grab some rebounds for the second straight night? Will anyone show up to the Orleans Arena to see the game? These are the questions that will weigh on my mind until 9 p.m. central time tonight, when two fine private institutions of higher learning meet in Las Vegas for a championship.
Enough of this nonsense. To the picks!
(Various members of Qwest Center Section 123 will pick ‘em each and every game on this site. We’ll keep track of the winner each game, and at the end of the year you’ll be able to find one of us three buying a round or two of expensive Scottrade Center brews at Arch Madness.)
Leading Scorer
Creighton Otter: Booker Woodfox (16)
Dance Cam Guy: P’Allen Stinnett (18)
Panon: Cavel Witter (15)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Kaleb Korver (14)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (20)
Margin
Creighton Otter: Jays by 8
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 12
Panon: Jays by 11
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 13
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15
posted by Creighton Otter at 10:13 AM
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