Last season, Xavier was ranked No. 8 in the nation and had won 10 straight games before heading to Chicago as 8.5-point favorites against the lowly DePaul Blue Demons.
Forty minutes later, after Xavier shot just 38% from the field and 4-of-20 from beyond the arc, DePaul had stunned the Musketeers, 73-72.
In the Big East, as Sean Miller said, “you can’t pick and choose when you play hard.”
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Just in case you think road wins in the Big East Conference are easy to get, anything can happen in league play as Xavier found out last year. Xavier has a matchup in Chicago Saturday against DePaul, which is dead last in the Big East at 3-18 overall (0-10 in league play), haven’t won since the calendar flipped to 2024 and fired its head coach less than two weeks ago.
Xavier has little margin for error and will need to bring the same energy that helped the Musketeers get a big Quadrant 2 win over St. John’s on Wednesday at Cintas Center.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup with DePaul.
Xavier vs. DePaul scouting report
Tip: Saturday, 9:30 p.m., Wintrust Arena (10,387)
TV: FS1/700 WLW with Xavier Hall-of-Famer Joe Sunderman and former Musketeer captain Steve Wolf
Ratings: Xavier moved up to No. 39 in KenPom and DePaul is No. 294. Xavier moved up four spots in the NCAA Net Rankings to No. 48. DePaul is No. 310.
Series history: Xavier is 16-5 all-time vs. DePaul after splitting last year’s regular season series and pulling out an 89-84 win in the Big East Tournament.
DePaul Blue Demons scouting report
Record: 3-18 (0-10 Big East)
Head coach: Matt Brady (0-3 at DePaul, first season)
Offense: 64.1 ppg
Defense: 78.7 ppg
Overview: On Jan. 22, DePaul fired head coach Tony Stubblefield in the middle of his third season. Stubblefield went 28-57 overall and 9-41 in Big East play. Matt Brady, former head coach at Marist and James Madison, took over and has gone 0-3 as interim head coach.
DePaul is winless in Big East play with only one game decided by less than 13 points (68-65 at Georgetown Jan. 6). Transfer portal addition Chico Carter Jr. is DePaul’s leading scorer at 11.8 points per game but has missed the last four games and will be out at least another week due to a rib injury.
Forward Da’Sean Nelson averages 10.9 points per game off the bench. DePaul is No. 294 overall in KenPom and ranks No. 283 in offensive efficiency and No. 275 on defense. DePaul is No. 272 in effective field goal percentage and just No. 301 from shooting inside the arc.
DePaul’s offense hit a new low in Tuesday’s loss to Seton Hall. The Blue Demons were held to a season-low 39 points, shooting just 22% from the floor (11-of-50) and 3-of-20 from 3-point range. The Blue Demons missed eight free throws and committed 15 turnovers in 33-point loss to the Pirates.
DePaul’s offense is not one to take advantage of Xavier’s lack of depth in the front court. The Blue Demons rank No. 301 in shooting from inside the arc. Texas Tech transfer Elijah Fisher averages 9.6 points per game while shooting 52.7% from the field and third-year guard Jalen Terry is at 7.4 in DePaul’s backcourt. Jeremiah Oden, a Wyoming transfer, is averaging 9.4 per game and grabs 4 rebounds a night.
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Jalen Terry (G, 6’0″, 7.4 ppg)
Elijah Fisher (G, 6’6″, 9.6 ppg)
Jaden Henley (G, 6’7″, 6.9 ppg)
Jeremiah Oden (F, 6’9″, 9.4 ppg)
Churchill Abass (C, 6’9″, 2.4 ppg)
Xavier Musketeers scouting report
Record: 11-10 (5-5 Big East)
Head coach: Sean Miller (158-67 at Xavier, seventh season)
Offense: 76.3 ppg
Defense: 73.2 ppg
Overview: Xavier did the little things well and avoided the dreaded pockets of poor play for just long enough to beat St. John’s. Xavier’s backs were against the wall after losing twice on the road, including a beatdown in UConn.
Miller admitted how a loss like that could impact a young team.
“They (UConn) beat us so bad, that you wonder if you’d ever be able to play basketball and win a basketball game again. No matter who you were on that trip, you had to be filled with doubt,” Miller said.
But Xavier’s has balanced the highs and the lows of a season filled with them. Though a loss to the nation’s top teams might not be as low as two home non-conference, Quadrant 3 losses (Oakland, Delaware), there’s no doubt that a 43-point loss could derail a young team’s confidence.
Instead, Xavier made the plays down the stretch and let the trusted backcourt of Dayvion McKnight, Quincy Olivari and Desmond Claude combine for 65 points.
Winning on the road has been difficult for Xavier this season (1-5), but the good news is if they can match the intensity they showed on Wednesday against DePaul, they’ll move over .500 in Big East play for the first time this season. Xavier’s offense is up to No. 52 in KenPom and have a dream matchup against a DePaul defense that is allowing Big East opponents to shoot 51.4% from the floor.
DePaul’s defense is No. 339 in effective field goal percentage and rank No. 300 or lower in 3-point defense (No. 319) and defending shots from inside the arc (No. 326). Xavier should get plenty of second-chance opportunities with the No. 50 offensive rebounding percentage against a DePaul defense that is No. 268 in defensive rebounding.
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Dayvion McKnight (G, 6’0″, 11.8 ppg)
Quincy Olivari (G, 6’3″, 18 ppg)
Desmond Claude (G, 6’6″, 16.3 ppg)
Gytis Nemeiksa (F, 6’7″, 6.4 ppg)
Abou Ousmane (F, 6’10”, 7.9 ppg)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big East Conference: Xavier looks for road win over DePaul in Chicago
