Casual Hoya

The delusion is back after a dominant WIN over St. John's on Sunday. Before Tuesday's showdown in Chicago, we here at the GLOBAL PHENOMENON are providing you with everything you need to know about the Hoyas' next opponent: The Resurgent Blue Demons of DePaul. Special thanks to the fellas at WeAreDepaul.com, the grandest DePaul blog of them all. Fellas, these steins are for you.

via chicagoist.com

Questions for Depaul after The Jump.

After a great home win against Pitt, DePaul seems to have hit the skids with 3 tough losses. With Georgetown next, how will Coach Purnell right the ship?

This team has definitely had it's struggles on the road in the Big East. After a losing all three on a three game road trip, they'll be glad to be back home on Tuesday. Purnell can right the ship by shoring up this team's defense. The Blue Demons' full court press has been giving up too many easy baskets. DePaul is dead last in the Big East in scoring defense. Some lineup changes are in order as Purnell tries to get this team to defend better, especially on the interior.

Speaking of Purnell, the guy is a true program builder and did great work at Old Dominion and Clemson. Of course, he also has a rap for never being able to fully seal the deal - what's the Blue Demon faithful's opinion of him so far?

Similar to his work at Clemson, Purnell's grade right now is an incomplete. The team is improved over last year. Purnell brings a exciting brand of basketball to Chicago, but lacks the right personnel to execute his system right now.

Most people know the vaunted Chicago dog and the deep dish pizza - explain the Italian beef sandwich and where we can find the best one in the Windy City.

Don't knock it till you try it! For me it's Al's Beef and you have to order it "wet with mozz". (Portillo's is vastly overrated)

Movie makers have smiled kindly on Chicago with some defining comedies set there, ranging from the Blues Brothers to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. When the chips are down, though, what's your pick as the top movie set in Chicago?

The Untouchables. We do things the Chicago Way!

Chicago is one of the most talent rich parts of the country yet DePaul has only 5 kids from Illinois on its roster. What's it gonna take to keep home grown talent (like Anthony Davis) in the city?

Lots and lots of cash. (again, do things the Chicago Way). Just kidding! Seriously, it's interesting that DePaul resembles Georgetown's recruiting with three Baltimore players on the Blue Demon roster. It will take some special Illinois recruits who are interested in staying home and who have the vision to see that they can turn around this program. DePaul does have DeJuan Marrero from Gary, Indiana, which is a Chicago suburb, coming in 2012-13. They also have a top 50 recruit in Billy Garrett, Jr. committed for 2013 and are looking to build on that. Of course, Jabari Parker's seat is ready for him any time he wants to commit to Purnell.

It's been a wild year so far in the Big East - who do you see as likely to have a bye the first round of the BET?

Hmm, Syracuse, Georgetown, UConn, and kills me to say it - Marquette.

Does the average DePaul student have any clue who Ray Meyer is?

Absolutely. Ray Meyer left an indelible mark on the university. Even the most oblivious DePaul student sees the campus recreation and fitness center which was dedicated in Ray's honor and bears his name.

As a non-football Catholic school, what's your opinion on the reshaping Big East? Where would you like to see DePaul end up?

As a non-football school, it's tough to see football dictating the changes made to the landscape of college sports in 2011. I think the Big East ended up alright in this latest round of realignment. However, if realignment were to continue, I'd like to see DePaul end up in a league with all of the other non-football (Div. I) programs in the Big East - Georgetown, Marquette, St. John's, etc. That would be a good nucleus to a solid basketball league.

Proxy question - is there any way the Skins can convince the Bears to take Rex Grossman back?

Haha, not on your life! Lovie Smith used to say at every weekly press conference - "Rex is our quarterback". Well, Rex is YOUR quarterback now.

What's the best case scenario for DePaul this season? Worst case?

Best case - 6 or 7 wins in the league and make the postseason in the NIT or CBI. Worst case - 1 and 17 in the league again.

Who are the team's best scorers and rebounders? Who has been the biggest surprise? Who has been the biggest disappointment?

Baltimore natives Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young are the best scorers. Rebounding is more of a by committee thing and is a big weakness for DePaul. Biggest surprise has been juco transfer Worrel Clahar. He enrolled at DePaul a few days before classes started in the Fall and has done a terrific job as a backup point guard. Worrel has been great in his last two games. I wouldn't be surprised to see Clahar crack the starting lineup very soon. Biggest disappointment is senior guard Jeremiah Kelly. On DePaul's European tour this summer, Kelly emerged as the team's third best scoring option. Since then he hasn't lived up to that billing. Kelly is averaging only 7.4 ppg in Big East games, he's been very inconsistent from one game to the next. I expected more from Kelly as a senior.

How do you see this game playing out? What is the final score?

After seeing the Hoyas destroy St. John's at the Garden on Sunday, I'm not too optimistic. Georgetown 69, DePaul 61.