Scouting DePaul - Do We Have to Play Again?

Head Coach Oliver Purnell and his DePaul team are just as bad as we are as they had into the "Battle for the Bottom" (Picture from Yahoo.com)

The energy is stirring, it is time for the "Battle of the Bottom"!!!! That's right USF fans, the men's basketball team 7-14 (1-7) in 15th place in the conference is taking on DePaul 6-13 (0-7) and in 16th place. So yes, the worst two teams in the conference are squaring off against each other in an "epic" battle to avoid the complete bottom of the barrel.

Enough joking around, this game is going to be very ugly. Both teams are offensively anemic and now they have to face each other, meaning someone actually will be rewarded a win in this game, hard to imagine. Let's take a look at the DePaul Blue Demons and how the Bulls will matchup against them. [keep reading]

The Demons average 69.2 points per game (ranked 182nd in the country), so they are able to score points, something USF finds difficult to do (averaging 62.6 points per game, ranking them 301st in the nation, yikes). The Bulls do have an advantage on the boards, averaging 38.3 per game (ranked 50th in the country), while DePaul ranks 297th, averaging 32.2 rebounds per game.

The Blue Demons are led by freshman Cleveland Melvin (6'8" 210-pounds). He averages 14.3 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game. He will probably be the key matchup for Augustus Gilchrist in the paint and matches size and height well. Next is guard Brandon Young (6'3" 175-pounds) who is averaging 11.7 points per game (31% from 3-point range) and 3.8 assists per contest. He will be matched up with either Jawanza Poland or Anthony Crater, both are solid on defense, but Poland is not as fast as Crater (but better on maintaining his lane better). Sophomore forward Tony Freeland (6'6" 216-pounds) is another inside player that averages 11 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, either Famous or Robertson will be the key matchup for him. Junior center Krys Faber (6'11" 260-pounds) gives the Blue Demons a big body in the paint that will compete with the Bulls' big men. He averages 7.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Other names to watch:

Mike Stovall - Guard/Forward - 6'5" 200-pounds - 7.2 PPG - 1.7 APG (assists per game)

Jimmy Drew - Guard - 6'4" 210-pounds - 6.6 PPG - 1.9 APG

Jeremiah Kelly - Guard - 6'1" 170-pounds - 5.8 PPG - 3 APG

The Bulls are struggling big time on offense and playing against another team that is just as bad as we are probably means we won't score much again. These teams are similar in height inside, so expect a low scoring game with "defense" or just bad basketball. The game is at home for the Bulls (not much of a home advantage, I'll get to that later), but it probably makes the team more comfortable. I think Heath will have his team ready for this one and somehow we are able to outscore DePaul.

USF 60 DePaul 58