Seeing DePaul, finally....

               So, I have been a fan of DePaul college basketball since I was a young lad, and was first introduced to them on television, going way back in the eighties. Of course, at that point, they were regularly not only ranked, but often ranked among the very elites. I specifically remember them as the number 2, and even eventually as the number 1 ranked team in the nation. Famously, of course, they always seemed to get bounced out of the March madness tournament in their very first game, despite very impressive regular seasons, including one where they had suffered only one loss the entire year!

            Of course, I was very young, and did not understand all of that. But I can say that my first real experience with basketball was on the collegiate level, and I specifically remember, and pulled for, DePaul. They were my team, and for a long time, I associated basketball with them. To me, way back in the early to mid-eighties, DePaul was basketball!

            My interests in them waned, and so did their fortunes. Ray Meyer moved on eventually, and DePaul, far from being one of the true elites, slowly but surely fell from the rankings to become just another team. Eventually, they became one of the worst teams in the country, over time.

            That began to change in the mid-2000's, and that was right around the time that I began to look for an alternative to the excesses of "professional" sports, and so it was only natural that I once again was drawn to DePaul. I watched them qualify for the March madness tournament in, I believe, 2006, and actually win an elimination game against Dayton, before getting blown out against eventual tournament champion UConn.

            Unfortunately, their newfound success did not last long. Before long, they had slipped back to irrelevancy again. They hardly were even on television, and since they also were not a team I could exactly just go and see any old time I wanted, I could only follow them mostly by internet. At least, that was, until they joind the Big East, where they would be playing several local teams. Suddenly, I could try and go see them. They would play several road games over the years against Seton Hall, Rutgers, St. John's, and UConn. Hell, they even played at Villanova. So there were opportunities to see them. I was tempted last March to see them in the Big East tournament against UConn, was set to purchase tickets, and then, for whatever the reason, backed down. Had I gone, I would have seen eventual champion UConn just as they were catching fire.

            Long story short, though, I finally saw them last night, as they came to Newark to play Seton Hall. I got tickets for about $20 via the internet the night before, and was seated quite near the floor! Awesome seats, affordable game!

            As for the game itself, well….I did not think they were really going to be able to win. You see, they have made improvements this year, even knocking off ranked Pitt. However, Seton hall has been absolutely on fire, and they were playing their first game as a ranked team since 2001!  So, they were fired up, and playing sharp, and it seemed in evidence who was the better team when Seton Hall raced out to a sizable lead.

            Yet, DePaul made a game of it, closing the margin to within 2 points with a strong run, before the Hall began to pull away with a good, strong run yet again, with a stingy and well-organized defense, and some good counter attack offense following turnovers, of which DePaul seemed to have a lot. By halftime, the game seemed out of reach.

            Early in the 2^nd half, the Hall took a lead of over 20 points, and it seemed the rout was on. But DePaul came back a bit again, playing an organized game themselves, tightening up a bit of defense, although just a bit, because their defense really was not all that solid. Mostly, they hit some incredible shots, and looked like actual competition there for a while. They closed the margin considerably, getting to within single digit margin again, down only by 9 points fairly late in the game.

            Ultimately, Seton Hall got themselves together, and hit a couple of big shots in a row, while their defense tightened up, and finally put the thing away, showing a killer instinct that perhaps underscores exactly why they are now a ranked team. They sealed the deal and won convincingly, 93-74.

            Still, it is nice to have actually finally seen DePaul at least once, after so much time, to say nothing of opportunities, have passed. I took my son, Sebastien, and he seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit, perhaps taken by the great seats, by the energy and team spirit of the college scene, and by the flashiness and excitement of a live game at a large venue. I wish he had not spent half the night telling me that he wanted popcorn, or reminding me of how hungry he was every few minutes, but these are things that a six year old will do, right?

            All in all, an enjoyable evening out, and a good and exciting game, even if my team lost, and by a sizeable margin, at that. It was nice to see them in person, finally. It was also nice to see Seton Hall at precisely that moment when they started to be quite something again!