DePaul basketball completes their non-conference season with a very short trip north to Evanston, where they’ll take on the Northwestern Wildcats. The Blue Demons have won the first two games on their current three game road trip. DePaul rallied late, and put together a 9-0 run in the final 3:44 win at UIC, 72-66, on Tuesday night.
Northwester, thus far, have a pretty decent season resume, but we’ll see who they really are/are not once the Big Ten season gets there. In the meantime, we have a pretty decently intriguing all-Chicagoland match on the weekend, so let’s preview.
Northwestern Wildcats vs DePaul Basketball FYIs
Tip: Sat, Dec 18, 2pm, Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, BTN
Season Previews: Northwestern Wildcats DePaul Basketball
Head Coach Exclusives: Chris Collins- Part 1 Part 2
Tony Stubblefield- Part 1 Part 2
ESPN BPI Matchup Predictor: 74.7%-25.3% Northwestern wins
DePaul Basketball (9-1, 2-0 away, KenPom 88, NET 51) Preview
DePaul does have a couple solid wins on the season, one is over Rutgers in the Gavitt Games, as the Scarlet Knights have already beaten a team ranked number one at the time on the season. The other one that really mattered was a win at Louisville, which is always impressive to some degree, but of course, it’s pretty clear that they’re this UL is not your father’s UL.
Javon Freeman-Liberty, a Valparaiso transfer, is Mr. all-everything for the Demons. The nephew of Marcus Liberty, a member of the 1989 Flyin’ Illini, leads DPU in all major categories. As he goes, so do the Demons, but David Jones poured in an eye-popping 33 points at Louisville, on an eye-popping 15/22 FGs.
DePaul’s only loss this season is to Loyola, who so far look very good; picking up where they left off last season.
Northwestern Wildcats (7-2, 5-0 home, KenPom 39, NET 42) Preview
After missing the first seven games of this season due to a hip injury, Chase Audige returned to Northwestern and started for the Wildcats on Sunday. He was the Cats’ leader in both scoring and steals last season, and his energy on the court has already given the team a boost this season, leading them to their first win at Maryland ever.
While this year’s Terrapins are certainly nothing close to your older brother’s Terrapins, it’s an impressive way to begin the Big Ten conference season nonetheless.
Northwestern’s other win of note is a blowout of Georgia. Both of their losses were two possession games, so they have been competitive in every game this season.
Audige is one of the main players to watch this season on the Cats, along with Boo Buie and Pete Nance, who’s the son of three time NBA All-Star and 1984 Slam Dunk champion Larry Nance. If Pete Nance keeps improving senior season at Northwestern go well, he could conceivably follow both his father and his older brother to the league.
Northwestern Coach Chris Collins said that they have had NBA people in to Evanston come out Pete Nance, to see what he potentially offers at the next level.
“You look at the way the game is played now, at his ability at 6-10, to be able to shoot 3s, put it on the floor, play outside- so he kind of fits that NBA mold,” Collins said.
“And the pedigree is there.”
“When we first got him, he was 190 pounds, now he’s 230, so he’s really worked on his body and gotten stronger, and this year he has a chance to put himself in all league potential, if he does that, he’ll have a chance to be a pro player.”
Prediction: DePaul basketball 79, Northwestern 77
Going with the road underdogs here in this one.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.