DePaul Blue Demons (0-18, 9-26) at Providence Friars (10-8, 18-12)
Big East Tournament—Round 2
Wednesday, March 11—12:00 PM EST
Preview
The second round of the Big East Tournament begins on Wednesday with No. 16 DePaul taking on No. 8 Providence. And yes, you read that right—the regular season Big East winless DePaul Blue Demons have moved onto the second round of the Big East Tournament.
In an unlikely turn of events yesterday, the Blue Demons defeated Cincinnati 67-57 to grab their first conference win of the season. While it was a great game, perhaps the best part of being at Madison Square Garden yesterday was listening to the sheer joy of the fans after the game.
In yesterday's game, the Blue Demons were lead by junior guard Will Walker and sophomore forward Dar Tucker, who had 17 points apiece. Tucker scored all of his points in the second half after getting into foul trouble early in the game.
Walker, sophomore forward Mac Koshwal, and freshman guard Jeremiah Kelly all played 40 minutes yesterday. Koshwal and Kelly were the only other Blue Demons to score in double-figures, each adding 12 points.
Providence has been very surprising this season. While a majority of their conference wins have come over opponents seeded beneath them, their two most notable wins of the season were a six point victory over Syracuse and a 10 point victory over Pitt (who was the top ranked team at the team).
The Friars' strength lies within their backcourt—specifically with guards Weyinmi Efejuku and Sharaud Curry, and guard/forward Marshon Brooks. Between the three of them, they average 38 points per game.
The Friars have not won in the Big East Tournament since 2003.
By The Numbers
| Record | Conf | ATS | RPI | SOS | PF | PA | |
| DePaul | 9-26 | 0-18 | 9-17 | 195 | 42 | 63.9 | 72.6 |
| Providence | 18-12 | 10-8 | 10-14-1 | 72 | 47 | 79.1 | 76.9 |
| FG% | D. FG% | 3P% | D. 3P% | FT% | RPG | SPG | APG | TPG | |
| DePaul | 40.4 | 46.1 | 29.0 | 35.8 | 61.7 | 37.8 | 6.8 | 11.3 | 12.5 |
| Providence | 45.4 | 44.9 | 32.2 | 34.3 | 67.7 | 41.1 | 7.7 | 15.1 | 14.3 |
Stat Leaders
| DePaul | Providence | |
| PPG | D. Tucker - 18.2 | W. Efejuku - 15.4 |
| W. Walker - 14.0 | S. Curry - 11.6 | |
| M. Koshwal - 12.6 | M. Brooks - 11.2 | |
| RPG | M. Koshwal - 9.8 | G. McDermott - 8.6 |
| APG | J. Kelly - 2.2 | S. Curry - 4.4 |
| SPG | W. Walker - 1.7 | G. McDermott - 1.5 |
| BPG | D. Hill - 1.2 | G. McDermott - 1.2 |
Prediction
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