DePaul-Marquette: Former Rivals Heading in Opposite Directions Meet Saturday

Somewhere, in the great beyond, Al McGuire is grinning and Ray Meyer is grabbing at his stomach like he has been sucker-punched. The present day version of McGuire's Golden Eagles and Meyer's Blue Demons meet for the 106th time this Saturday in Milwaukee for what was once a proud and often heated rivalry, but has now turned into little more than an exhibition of two programs headed in completely opposite directions.

Marquette enters Saturday's meeting No. 11 in the nation. The Golden Eagles are 16-2 and a perfect 5-0 in the Big East. All of this coming with first year head coach Buzz Williams at the helm after Tom Crean left for Indiana.

DePaul, on the other hand, bumbles into the game at 8-11, including an 0-6 mark in the Big East. After winning the first four games to start the season, the Demons have won just four out of the last 15.

In the only meeting last season between the two schools, the first 20 minutes proved to be hard-fought with Marquette squeaking out a two-point halftime advantage. However, a 9-0 run by the Eagles to start the second half all but buried the Demons en route to a 79-71 Eagles win.

This year, it would be noteworthy if DePaul lasts more than 10 minutes with the Golden Eagles. DePaul has yet to win a road game this year and has been beaten by over 20 points by UCLA and Syracuse away from the Allstate Arena.

DePaul does get to face Marquette at home Feb. 4, but even the home court has been unkind to the Demons this year, as evidenced by a five-point loss to Morgan State and an embarrassing 80-58 loss against USF, the only Big East squad picked in the preseason to be worse than the Demons.

Expect Marquette to make light work of DePaul and get their bench players some extended minutes in the second half.

Marquette 85, DePaul 63