In the midst of a four-game road trip, DePaul men’s basketball’s last three games have pushed the Blue Demons.
The team has gone 1-2 in that stretch, with the sole win being a buzzer-beater against Northwestern. Recently, DePaul dropped a hard-fought 61-54 loss at Georgetown in the first Big East game of the season.
It has been 16 days since the Blue Demons last played a home game and they will close out the trip with a well-known Big East foe: Marquette.
DePaul (8-6, 0-1) squares off against the Golden Eagles (8-6, 0-1) Saturday afternoon and head coach Oliver Purnell said the Blue Demons are preparing for Marquette’s physicality.
“(Marquette) is a really good basketball team,” Purnell said. “Their physicality is a big thing. They’re a tough man team and don’t beat themselves. They’ve got all the pieces. This is a quality basketball team that was picked early at the top of our conference and they deserved so.”
If the Blue Demons are to pull off the upset, they will have to shoot the ball better. Over the last three games, DePaul has shot 37 percent (63-170), well below the season average of 43 percent.
At the height of the Blue Demons offensive struggles is leading-scorer Cleveland Melvin. After posting consecutive double-doubles versus Chicago State and Houston Baptist, Melvin’s has since shot 28 percent (9-32) and is only averaging 7 points per game.
Melvin said he’s trying to be positive and get his teammates more involved, but also is working to correct his slump.
“I can’t stop shooting since I’m one of the main players that scores a lot,” Melvin said. “I’ve been getting in the gym and putting up more shots late night. It’s going to pay off. I’m going to break through the struggle and come out with the mindset to play hard and get the win.”
Purnell said one of the areas the team has to improve upon is free throws. The Blue Demons went 13-26 against Georgetown.
“I thought we did a good job against Georgetown of driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line,” Purnell said. “You can shoot a poor percent and get to the line and shoot a high percent to win. We have to make sure we’re mentally prepared for that.”
Marquette’s season has gotten off to a rockier start compared to previous years. The Golden Eagles are 8-6 and are coming off an 18-point loss versus Creighton. The 8-6 start is the team’s worst record to begin the season under Marquette head coach Buzz Williams.
Despite the slow start, the Golden Eagles’ defense is among the best in the nation, holding opponents to 61 points per game. They rank first in the Big East and 22nd in the nation.
“I think it’s going to be a great matchup,” Guard Brandon Young said. “They’re physical, but we’re physical as well. We’re looking for the challenge and are going to come out and play hard for 40 minutes.”
DePaul hopes to match Marquette’s physicality with the addition of the new big men added in the offseason, Purnell said. DePaul added four players (Sandi Marcius, Tommy Hamilton IV, Greg Sequele and Forrest Robinson) who play either the power forward or center positions.
“We’ve gotten better, but we still have a long way to go,” Purnell said. “We still have yet to play a flawless game offensively and put the defense together. That’s what we’re trying to do right now.”
Game notes:
– Young tweaked his ankle during the Georgetown game, but appears to be good to go for Saturday’s game. He was limited in practice Wednesday, but participated fully the day after. Purnell said barring any setbacks, he’ll be ready to play.