South Florida vs DePaul: 2018-19 CBI Championship game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
South Florida and DePaul meet in the title game of the CBI on Friday night in Chicago; will it be the Bulls or Blue Demons cutting down the nets and claiming the tournament title?
TV schedule: Friday, April 5, 7:00 pm ET. ESPNU
Arena: McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago, Illinois
After splitting the first two games of this best-of-3 series, former Big East rivals DePaul and South Florida will meet in the deciding game of CBI championship. The Bulls took the first game with a jumper in the closing seconds while the Blue Demons took game two in overtime; the home team winning both contests.
South Florida (23-14) finished in seventh place in the AAC in their second season under coach Brian Gregory. They struggled against the top teams in the league but took advantage of a weak non-conference schedule. They dispatched of Stony Brook, Utah Valley and Loyola Marymount on their way to the finals and this young team is building something special for the future.
There isn’t a single senior on this roster and a pair of sophomores has done much of the damage. Sophomore guard David Collins (15.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) just put up 31 points against Stony Brook two weeks ago and led the way in the Bulls’ win Monday over DePaul. Sophomore forward Alexis Yetna (12.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg) is the big man to watch, and he’s had double-digit boards in four of the team’s five CBI games. Keep an eye also on junior guard Laquincy Rideau (13.5 ppg, 5.4 apg); he just dropped 35 points in their loss on Wednesday and has the potential to go off again.
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South Florida currently sits at 106th in KenPom, though they boast the 41st ranked defense in the nation. For a power conference (or whatever you call the AAC) team, this is quite subpar, but they have shown growth this season. This is the best free throw shooting team in the nation, but they struggle mightily with turnovers. They’ll do damage if they get DePaul into foul trouble but are very susceptible to digging their own graves with sloppy play.
On the home side, DePaul (19-16) managed to win 7 Big East games in a season that seems solid based on recent history. The Blue Demons knocked off St. John’s twice but didn’t score a lot of impressive wins. 16 of their 19 victories came at home and their home court advantage will come in handy tonight. They dispatched of Central Michigan, Longwood, and Coastal Carolina, with their offense leading the way.
It’s looking like senior guard Eli Cain (13.1 ppg, 3.4 apg) will miss the game, having injured his wrist in Wednesday’s win. Senior guard Max Strus (20.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg) has been the Blue Demons’ best offensive weapon, topping 30 points three times in the CBI already. Strus had 32 points on Wednesday and could be headed towards a similarly effecting outing in his last home game. The Blue Demons will need their forwards to step up, though senior Femi Olujobi (12.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and sophomore Paul Reed (12.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg) can definitely put up points in bunches.
DePaul is at 111th in KenPom, but boast a porous defense. They rank 43rd in offensive efficiency and in the top 50 in both offensive and defensive rebounding. Unfortunately, they give up a ton of 3-pointers and points in general, with their defense a major hole for this team.
These are two very different teams, and each team played to their strength in the game that they won. For the Bulls, making this a defensive struggle is key; they contained DePaul’s offense on Monday and will need to do the same to win a much tougher game on the road. For the Blue Demons, it’ll be tough to put up 100 points again without Cain but they’ll need another great game from Strus and the rest of this offense.
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Whichever team makes fewer mistakes will certainly put themselves in the best position to win. The Cain injury certainly limits the Blue Demons, but they have the advantage in both home court and experience. I don’t foresee the Bulls limiting their offense for a second time this week, though this should be yet another extremely close contest. Expect it to finish somewhere between the first two games with the Blue Demons hoisting a CBI title.