Men’s Hoops Live Blog: Northwestern vs. DePaul
This cross-town rivalry resumes with both teams on a hot streak while using young talent at the beginning of the season. Northwestern is coming off an impressive home win over Florida State, while DePaul lost its first game in its last outing at California. The Blue Demons (4-1) and Wildcats have always played each other close. The last four meetings have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
Last year, NU (5-1) went to Allstate Arena and nearly pulled off the upset at DePaul. But the Blue Demons hit a last-second shot to defeat the Cats, who played without Kevin Coble in that game. The two teams are relying on a lot of young talent this season so far and should make for an interesting matchup.
DePaul is led by sophomore forward Dar Tucker. Tucker is averaging 20.8 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. Tucker has been held under 20 points just once this season. He figures to be a key part of the Blue Demons’ slashing attack against a staunch NU defense that is giving up only 51.7 points per game on 39.4 percent shooting.
Sophomore Mac Koshwal has also been strong for the Blue Demons. He is averaging 12.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 center has had some problems committing turnovers, averaging nearly four per game.
Keys to the Game:
1. Let Juice loose- Sophomore point guard Michael Thompson had a big game in last year’s trip to DePaul. The point guard scored a career-high 24 points at DePaul last season. He nearly single-handed defeated the Blue Demons, but fouled out late in the game as DePaul was able to hold on. Thompson has not been able to follow up his freshman year as strongly. He has not been quite as active in the offense, averaging 9.7 points per game and only 3.0 assists per game. This is another opportunity for Thompson to really assert himself. It is clear defenses are going to focus on junior forward Kevin Coble and senior guard Craig Moore. it is up to Thompson to really step up and be the third scoring otpion that can take the pressure off of those two. So far he has struggled to do so.
2. Protect the basketball- DePaul is a high-scoring team, averaging 71.0 points per game. The Blue Demons force 17.6 turnovers per game. The Cats have been decent taking care of the ball, but do have the propensity to get caught up in fast-paced games, increasing their turnover count. NU is turning the ball over only 11.5 times per game. But that number has been larger at times this season. Protecting the ball is a must for the Cats to succeed in this game.
3. Control the glass- this has not been much of a concern for NU so far this season. The Cats have won the rebounding battle in every game except one this season. The addition of big men Kyle Rowley and John Shurna have helped immensely in that category. But it bears reiterating considering this team’s history on the glass. If the Cats can limit the Blue Demons to one shot, they can control the tempo of the game and dictate how this game is played.
