Dennis Erickson leaves Arizona State Disgraced, ASU Destroyed by Boise

December 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

Boise State University entered the Maaco Bowl against the Arizona State Sun Devils as the number seven team in the BCS rankings. Yet, they were left out of a BCS game once again this season after suffering an earlier loss to the TCU Horned Frogs.

Don’t worry; this is not another column about how flawed the system is. I will not lobby here for a playoff. I will outline why bowl coaches should never come into the contest in a lame duck situation. I understand why this takes place. It is impossible for a team to hire a coach after the regular season and have him take over with his entire staff prior to the postseason.

[Read more...]

Big East/SEC Challenge Preview and Predictions

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

kentucky cheerleaders

Unlike the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, The Big East/SEC Challenge is still in its infant stages.  There is a new format this season as the battle of power conferences increases to a twelve-game schedule with teams playing host for each game rather than meeting at a neutral site which has been the case the past four years.  Since the SEC is a 12-team conference, four Big East teams (Marquette, Notre Dame, Villanova, and South Florida) are not partaking in the event.  Here are my predictions and things to watch out for as the three-day event tips off this evening.

[Read more...]

2013 NBA Mock Draft (11/28/11)

November 28, 2011 By 1 Comment

nba draft logo

I am well aware that the 2012 NBA Draft has not even occurred yet.  Still, we are looking ahead to the 2013 NBA Draft with insanely early projections on how it may unfold.  Team needs and outstanding trades have NOT been taken into consideration with this 2013 NBA mock draft.  Click on the players’ name for a complete, in-depth scouting report.

(By the way, The Sports Bank was graded as the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.)

CLICK HERE FOR THE SPORTS BANK’S 2012 NBA MOCK DRAFT

[Read more...]

Golden Gophers Trevor Mbakwe is NBA Ready

November 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Conference play hasn’t yet begun for the Big Ten yet this season, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers are anxious to start play in a league where they are an afterthought. Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan seem to be the consensus frontrunners for the top third of the league.

Minnesota played the DePaul Blue Demons in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on Thanksgiving in front of an announced crowd of slightly over three thousand.

The statisticians must have been counting all of the employees in the building in their tally. Nonetheless, Tubby Smith and crew fought through a double digit halftime deficit to pull out the victory 86-85 in a high scoring affair.

[Read more...]

DePaul Will Continue Running and Gunning This Year

November 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

depaul blue demon

Last night DePaul defeated the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, a team that will spend the first two months of the season on the road, with trips to No. 1 North Carolina, eighth-ranked Florida, and No. 15 Wisconsin along the way.

The Delta Devils opened the season on Saturday, losing 80-67 at Notre Dame. As they embark on the long road trip, they’ll no doubt remember their game at McGrath Arena, where they encountered a DePaul team that loves to play a fast up-and-down style.

In the preseason, DePaul lost three players to injuries and eligibility issues, they really can’t afford to lose any more, if they hope to continue playing their fast-paced, always pressing style.

[Read more...]

DePaul Blue Demons off to 2-0 Start

November 15, 2011 By 1 Comment

cleveland melvin depaul

In two of the last three years, DePaul has won four of their first five. So very early season success is nothing new to them. It’s the Big East conference games where the trouble starts.

But January 1 versus Syracuse can wait for now, as the Blue Demons rolled past the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (Yes, Blue Demons versus Delta Devils, Satan no doubt loves the mascots in this one) 80-70.

Senior guard Jeremiah Kelly led the game with 24 points on 6-12 from behind the arc. DPU shot 10-24 from downtown for the game.

[Read more...]

DePaul, UIC Signing Day Synopsis

November 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

depaul blue demon

DePaul coach Oliver Purnell inked two players Wednesday to a National Letter of Intent with DeJuan Marrero and Jodan Price. Marrero is a 6’5” forward from Gary, Ind. and Price is a 6’7” guard/forward from Beverly Hills, Mich.

Marrero averaged 22.1 points and 15.3 rebounds per game as a junior at Gary’s Bowman Academy. The two-time member of the Times of Northwest Indiana All-Area first team played for the U18 national team for Puerto Rico at the 2010 FIBA Americas tournament. On the summer AAU circuit, Marrero played for Spiece Indy Heat and he is ranked among the top 50 players in the nation at his position and the top 15 players in Indiana by ESPN.com.

[Read more...]

Big East Football Realignment HURTING Big East Basketball

November 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

At the Chicago college basketball media day, DePaul coach Oliver Purnell made a joke at the podium about announcing a new additions to a new super-conference that was planning on adding more teams in the near future.

We in the media appreciated his jab at the chaotic landscape that is conference realignment/expansion. And again at the DePaul media luncheon, Purnell was asked about the current game of musical chairs being played. And the Big East is feeling the effects harder than anyone else.

“These are crazy times, it’s happened before it’s just happening very quickly, and now it seems there’s a race,” Purnell said.

[Read more...]

DePaul Blue Demons Now Left with Just 9 Scholarship Players

October 28, 2011 By 3 Comments

depaul mascot

Any chance that Oliver Purnell‘s re-building project at DePaul would take effect this season has been severely hampered due to the loss of two players to injury and one freshman being ruled ineligible.  And yesterday that freshman withdrew so he won’t be available for 2012-23 now either.

As a result, the Blue Demons will enter the 2011-2012 season with just nine scholarship players available for the beginning of the season.

[Read more...]

Big East On The Way To Becoming Hoops Only Conference?

September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

big east logo

With Syracuse and Pitt selling out and heading to the ACC, the Big East is in serious jeopardy of disbanding as a football conference; especially if the rumors are true that UConn and Rutgers will soon follow suit.  With football being at the forefront of these super conference realignments, the most competitive basketball conference in the country is losing elite programs, but could still survive as a hoops only league.

[Read more...]

#101 DePaul Blue Demons: College Basketball 111 in 111

July 27, 2011 By 3 Comments

depaul mascot

Welcome to The Sports Bank’s second annual college basketball season preview series.  Last year we looked at 99 teams in 99 days.  This year, we are being slightly more aggressive and expanding to 111 teams in 111 days.  We will rank the 74 power conference teams and top 37 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order.  We’ll break down rosters, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.

The DePaul Blue Demons have been to the Big East what the Pittsburgh Pirates have been to the NL Central in recent years.  While the Pirates have come out of nowhere to be division contenders this season, second year head coach Oliver Purnell has a lot of work to do as he continues his overhaul of the Blue Demon roster.  I give them this though, I actually have two Big East teams ranked lower than them!

[Read more...]

Big East/SEC Challenge Unveiled: Kentucky-St. John’s, DePaul-Ole Miss

May 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The DePaul college basketball team learned its opponent for the 2011 BIG EAST/SEC Challenge today: the Mississippi Rebels at Allstate Arena. The three-day event features 12 games in December between BIG EAST and SEC programs.

Here’s the full schedule:
[Read more...]

« Older Posts
Newer Posts »