The bubble has not burst for DePaul. But there’s this slow leak that may soon become a serious problem. There is still time for the Blue Demons to patch the leak, restore some confidence and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992. But not unless they can overcome the deficiencies on display throughout their nightmare Saturday afternoon, a 71-54 loss to Louisville that reinforced DePaul’s reputation as a consistently inconsistent team.
“Our Jekyll and Hyde thing,” is the way coach Pat Kennedy described his team’s pattern. The problem is, only one of them deserves a bid.
DePaul (17-9 overall, 7-6 in Conference USA) made 32 percent of its shots and committed 18 turnovers. The Demons can feel secure about their NCAA chances only if they win two of the three remaining regular-season games, against St. Louis, Cincinnati and Southern Mississippi.
A 9-7 record in the fourth-rated conference, according to the computer rankings used by the tournament committee, should be more than enough for the Demons to earn a bid.
But for a team ranked No. 20 in both major preseason polls after a summer of enormous expectations, the loss to the Cardinals added to an alarming trend. Twice within seven days, against physical teams that played in the NCAA tournament last March, the Demons have lost by an average of 20 points and their two leading scorers have been ineffective.
Quentin Richardson and Bobby Simmons combined to make 9 of 46 shots in the losses to Cincinnati and Louisville. Simmons sprained his left ankle Saturday. Team physician Preston Wolin said X-rays were negative, and Simmons is expected to play Saturday at St. Louis.
Richardson made 5 of 27 shots against the physical defensive efforts of the Bearcats and Cardinals, two games that may create an enormous red flag when NBA organizations examine his game.
Hemmed in as he tried to navigate along the baseline against Louisville’s zone, Richardson made 2 of 14 shots for four points, the fourth time in six games he has been held to fewer than 10 points. For the second time in three games, Richardson did not attempt a free throw. Eight of his 12 misses were beneath the basket.
Of the 42 shots that DePaul missed, 20 were close enough to the hoop to be considered layups.
“Let’s make a few of them, at least,” Kennedy said, “and the crowd gets into it, and maybe we’re in striking distance. But it didn’t seem like we made any of them.”
Louisville (16-9, 7-5) won its fifth consecutive game and beat the Demons for the eighth straight time. The Cardinals made 49 percent of their shots, neutralized DePaul’s rebounding strength and forced Richardson to become a passer instead of a scorer.
Less than three weeks ago, the Cardinals had lost six of seven games. “I said, `We could finish second, or last,'” Louisville coach Denny Crum said.
From the aerial act of Marques Maybin, whose 17 points included two gasp-producing alley-oops, to the consistency of Nate Johnson, who scored 15 points and stifled Richardson, the Cardinals were never in danger.
Richardson’s few encouraging moments came in the second half as the Demons struggled to find a solution.
He made passes from the left baseline to Lance Williams, who made a pair of baskets. Richardson’s offensive rebound brought the Demons to 60-51 with 6:11 to play.
“I just felt like I was going to go to the glass and try to find people when they were open and do other things,” Richardson said. “I’ve been in situations when my shot was not falling. You’ve got to try to do other things to help the team.”
LOUISVILLE (16-9): Williams 4-10 0-0 10, Johnson 6-14 2-2 15, Edward 0-2 0-0 0, Maybin 5-7 7-10 17, Gaines 3-6 5-6 12, Brooks 3-4 0-0 6, Turner 0-0 1-2 1, Bailey 4-4 0-0 9, Gervin 0-0 0-0 0, McKinley 0-0 0-0 0, Smiley 0-1 0-0 0, Hopper 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 25-51 16-22 71.
DePAUL (17-9): Richardson 2-14 0-0 4, Simmons 3-12 5-6 12, Hunter 0-1 2-2 2, Burno 2-7 3-3 8, Hartfield 4-8 0-0 9, Tulley 1-5 0-0 2, Avery 0-0 0-0 0, McPherson 4-9 1-1 9, Baker 0-2 0-0 0, Williams 4-4 0-0 8. Totals 20-62 11-12 54.
Halftime: Louisville 38, DePaul 31. Three-point goals: Louisville 5-16 (Williams 2-6, Johnson 1-3, Gaines 1-4, Brooks 0-1, Bailey 1-1, Hopper 0-1), DePaul 3-13 (Richardson 0-4, Simmons 1-2, Burno 1-2, Hartfield 1-3, Tulley 0-2). Fouled out: Burno, Hartfield. Rebounds: Louisville 33 (Williams 7), DePaul 37 (Richardson 10). Assists: Louisville 16 (Williams 5, Gaines 5,) DePaul 10 (Burno 4). Total fouls: Louisville 15, DePaul 20. A: 13,036.
