USF Basketball vs. DePaul: Finally, The Game America Has Been Waiting For!

It's here, everyone. You know you've been waiting for this game for weeks. You circled it on the calendar as loss after loss piled up and each game proved to be even uglier than the last. You realized, "This could be the last game USF wins this year, if they're going to win another game this year." So without further ado, it's the South Florida Bulls against the DePaul Blue Demons. Let's gird our loins and take a look.

Don't let the gaudy scoring numbers fool you. DePaul has the second-highest tempo in the country, according to KenPom, and all of their opponents have been happy to play along because their defensive efficiency clocks in at 180th. They've given up at least 69 points in every Big East game, with four games allowing at least 90. Meanwhile, USF hasn't scored more than 67 in Big East play, and they've had 50 or less eight times. Like most matchups between the Bulls and Blue Demons, this will be the stoppable force against the movable object.

DePaul's defense is very vulnerable inside the arc. Teams don't even bother shooting that many threes against them because they can get easy shots closer to the rim. Cleveland Melvin is a legitimate weapon, but Brandon Young has a bit of volume shooter in him (like a shorter Victor Rudd), and no one else on the Blue Demons is really worrisome. Still, they're a much different style than the rest of the conference, and they lost three of their Big East games in overtime and another by one point. With how bad USF is, the Bulls can't even take DePaul for granted, or they will lose and virtually cinch a last-place conference finish.