BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA AT DEPAUL

January 10, 2009


Something has to give at Allstate Arena on Saturday afternoon as DePaul and South Florida both look to earn their first wins in conference play this season. DePaul has lost to Notre Dame at home and to Providence and Syracuse on the road to begin their conference schedule.

South Florida began conference play with a pair of home games, but came up short against Syracuse and Louisville. They will not hit the road that has never been very forgiving for the Bulls since joining the Big East in search of their first conference win of 2008-2009.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on today’s match-up from the web this morning:

DePaul Desperate for Big East Win (SouthTownStar.com)
DePaul, South Florida Look for First Big East Win (Chicago Tribune)

The early college basketball odds have DePaul as a 6 ½-point favorite to be the team to get their first conference win in this game. The Blue Demons are likely to have the two best players on the floor for much of the game with Dar Tucker on the wing and Mac Koshwal in the paint, although Dominique Jones will try and have his say in that matter. However, Tucker’s defensive potential could slow Jones down on one end of the floor.

South Florida has never been one to find road success in the Big East, even though DePaul is not one of the stronger teams in the conference, USF is unlikely to start finding the success this afternoon either.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

DePaul 65
South Florida 57