Dave Leitao, DePaul

We preview the Big East conference battle between the DePaul Blue Demons and the 10th ranked Seton Hall Pirates at Prudential Center in New Jersey on Wednesday night in this report.

Key Information

DePaul Blue Demons (13-7, 1-6) vs. No. 10 Seton Hall Pirates (15-4, 7-0) – Wednesday, January 28th, 5:30 p.m. Central – Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey

How to Watch - Television – FOX Sports 1

Where to Listen - Radio – WYLL AM 1160 in Chicago

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Game Preview

As the saying goes, the show must go on.

After dropping its latest game to St. John’s on Saturday, 79-66, and getting swept in the process, the DePaul Blue Demons have now lost six of their first seven Big East games. Now the Demons will head out on the road to play the No.1 team in the conference and the 10th-ranked Seton Hall Pirates in Newark, New Jersey on Wednesday night.

So far this conference season the Pirates have not lost a conference game and are 7-0 in league play. They are most recently coming off a win at home against Providence, 73-64, last Wednesday.

If DePaul has any hopes of digging out of the hole they have dug for themselves, winning at Seton Hall would go a long way in turning its season around.

Obviously, easier said than done.

This is the second-straight rematch game for DePaul, as it previously dropped the first game against the Pirates on December 30th in the conference opener for both squads. DePaul gave Seton Hall a real fight for about 38 minutes before crumbling down the stretch and allowing the Pirates to go on a 9-0 run to end the game while losing 74-66.

In that game Seton Hall got back the services of its star senior guard Myles Powell, who had previously missed the prior two games with a concussion. Powell was originally tabbed as questionable, and if he was to play it would have been at reduced minutes.

However, Powell came out like a horse out of a stable en route to scoring 27 points (18 in the second half) and willing the Pirates past the finish line. He was seemingly in the middle of every big play. Powell is now averaging 21.9 points per game on 34.5 percent shooting from three-point range, while also adding 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

You may not be able to stop him, but containing him and throwing off his rhythm will be paramount in keeping this a close game.

Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard likes to use his bench, as 10 players average at least 12 minutes per game, with six of them averaging at least seven points per game.

Senior point guard Quincy McKnight is second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game, while leading the team in assists (5.4 assists per game) and steals (1.6 steals per game). McKnight also adds 3.4 rebounds per game. He had a rough time in the first game with just four points on 1-6 shooting from the field. Don’t expect a repeat.

One of the big reasons behind the Pirates’ nine-game winning streak, which includes a win over Maryland, is the play of 7’2” senior center Romaro Gill.

He was just named to conference honor roll after scoring 17 points (8-10), pulling down six rebounds and blocking eight shots in the win against Providence. He averages 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and a conference-high 3.4 blocks per game (DePaul’s Paul Reed is second with 3 a game), while shooting 63 percent from the floor. In league games, those numbers increase to 12.1 points and 4 blocks per game.

Gill was a major disruptor in the first game, as DePaul didn’t get many good looks at the basket, especially in the second half.

Powell, McKnight and Gill account for 52 percent of the team’s scoring this season and 65 percent of the offense in their last three games.

Sophomore wing Jared Rhoden leads the Hall in rebounding (6.2 per game) while adding 8.6 points per game. He has done a good job adjusting to playing the four-man in Willard’s rotation.

A storyline to follow is the potential return of third-leading scorer Sandro Mamukelashvili (10.9 points per game). There are rumblings he will make his return to the court after missing the last 10 games with a broken wrist.

It will be interesting to see how Willard uses him. Obviously, Mamukelashvili is a talented player but the team has thrived without him and his integration into the lineup could shift roles and throw a wrench into the team’s chemistry.

For DePaul to have any chance to win, the three-point line may just eventually be how the game will either be won. In the last game between the two clubs, Seton Hall shot 35 percent from beyond the arc (7-20) while DePaul shot 23.8 percent (5-21).

The Demons inability to connect from deep, while allowing opposing teams to light it up from deep has been the main source of consternation in their conference losses. Here is the discrepancy in three-point shooting of DePaul and its opponents; excluding the first game which is explained above:

Vs. Providence January 4: PC 40 percent, DePaul 23.8 percent

@ St. John’s January 11: SJU 31.6 percent, DePaul 20 percent

@ Villanova January14: Nova 39.3 percent, DePaul 38.9 percent (notice this was in overtime in a tight contest)

Vs. Butler January 18: BU 33.3 percent, DePaul 58.8 percent (any wonder why they won so easily?)

Vs. Creighton January 22: CU 40 percent, DePaul 18.8 percent

Vs. St. John’s January 25: SJU 40.6 percent. DePaul 16 percent

This is basically how games will be won.

Look how well DePaul plays if they shoot over 35 percent. It’s all about getting good looks and gaining confidence. When Charlie Moore and Jalen Coleman-Lands start feeling it, DePaul is a completely different team.

If DePaul has ideas of turning around their fortunes, suffice to say a win at a top-10 team’s place would be a tremendous way to go about it.

Gambling Info.

The Blue Demons are 10-10 against the spread thus far this season.

Seton Hall is favored by 10.5 points.

The Over/Under is 143 points.

The Last Time

On December 30, 2019 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Myles Powell, a Big East player of the year candidate, returned after missing the two previous games with a concussion in dramatic fashion, as he sparked Seton Hall to a 74-66 victory over DePaul.

Powell was inserted into the starting lineup for tonight as soon as he was cleared to play. He came through to lead all scorers with 27 points on seven of 15 shooting.

The Pirates ended the game on a 9-0 run and was the team that executed better down the stretch.

Myles Cale contributed 16 points for Seton Hall, while Jared Rhoden added 10 points off the bench.

41 fouls were called in the game which resulted in a lot of stoppages of play and sending Seton Hall to the free throw line 30 times.

Paul Reed led the way for DePaul with 17 points on seven for 14 shooting and nine rebounds. Charlie Moore contributed 13 points while Jalen Coleman-Lands added 10 points in the loss for the Demons.

Devin Gage provided some lift off the bench for the Blue Demons on both ends of the floor. Gage finished with nine points and two steals.

Seton Hall Roster

# FULL NAME CLASS POS. HT. WT. HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL PREVIOUS COLLEGE

0 Quincy McKnight Sr. G 6-4 185 Bridgeport, Conn. Phelps School (Pa.) / St. Joseph Sacred Heart

1 Takal Molson Jr. G 6-5 205 Buffalo, N.Y. TAAG Academy Canisius

2 Anthony Nelson So. G 6-4 180 New York, N.Y. South Kent School

4 Tyrese Samuel Fr. F 6-10 220 Montreal, Quebec Orangeville Prep

13 Myles Powell Sr. G 6-2 195 Trenton, N.J. Trenton Catholic

14 Jared Rhoden So. G/F 6-6 210 Baldwin, N.Y. Our Saviour Lutheran

15 Taurean Thompson Jr. F 6-11 235 New York, N.Y. Brewster Academy / St. Anthony Syracuse

21 Ike Obiagu So. C 7-2 265 Abuja, Nigeria Greenforest Academy Florida State

22 Myles Cale Jr. G/F 6-6 210 Middletown, Del. Appoquinimink

23 Sandro Mamukelashvili Jr. F 6-11 240 Tbilisi, Georgia Montverde Academy (Fla.)

30 Asiah Avent Sr. G 6-3 190 Springfield, N.J. Franklin

32 Darnell Brodie So. F 6-9 265 Newark, N.J. Newark East Side / Montverde Academy (Fla.)

33 Shavar Reynolds, Jr. Jr. G 6-2 190 Manchester, N.J. Manchester Township

35 Romaro Gill Sr. C 7-2 255 St. Thomas, Jamaica St. Thomas Vincennes University