Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Butler, Seton Hall secure road wins

DePaul entered this season with hopes of competing for an NCAA Tournament bid. After the first two months of the season, that possibility is looking fairly likely. The Blue Demons finished their non-conference schedule with a 12-1 record that included victories over Iowa, Minnesota, and Texas Tech as potential at-large teams.

To begin Big East play, though, DePaul dropped a home game to Seton Hall by eight points. This was a particularly disappointing performance for the Blue Demons as they led for the majority of the game before struggling in the closing minutes.

Looking ahead, DePaul will need to close out games better. The Big East is going to be an absolute gauntlet this season and the Blue Demons will need to take advantage of each opportunity to secure wins. This is especially true with regard to taking care of business at home. Road victories will be very hard to come by this season, even if Butler and Seton Hall were both able to secure them in the opening week.

DePaul’s schedule during this coming week only features a home game against Providence. It might feel early to call something a “must-win” but that might be the case for the Blue Demons versus the Friars. Providence is the lowest-rated opponent in the conference and DePaul will need to find  a way to get back on track against them before traveling to face St. John’s and Villanova on the road in back-to-back games.

DePaul needs to beat Providence to regain some momentum.