Billy Garrett Jr. had trouble stopping himself from thinking about the shot.
The ball went in when he took it again on Thursday, but that one didn’t give DePaul the chance to beat the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time since 1952 as the one he missed Wednesday night against Villanova.
“You definitely play it back,” Garrett said. “The adrenaline definitely kicked in. I was kind of surprised to be that open. The guy reached for the ball, missed and gave me a clean look, make-or-miss game. I missed.”
Free throws aside, Garrett did not shoot particularly well in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, and leading scorer Eli Cain struggled even worse.
Their combined 12-of-36 shooting didn’t help a struggling DePaul team in desperate need of a consistent third option, but the bright side of the Blue Demons’ 68-65 loss to top-ranked Villanova may have been the emergence of Tre’Darius McCallum.
A 6-foot-7 junior out of Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, McCallum scored 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting and had seven rebounds as the Blue Demons played their best game of the season.
“We had a chance late in the game,” DePaul coach Dave Leitao said. “I’m obviously a little disappointed, but hopefully it’s something to build on. Tre’Darius the last four games has played much better. He always has brought a lot of energy, and hopefully he can continue to give us production with points and rebounds.”
The Blue Demons (7-7, 0-1 Big East) won just one of the four games as Cain has gone cold after a strong start. Consistent production from Garrett, Cain and McCallum could be the key to a DePaul turnaround.
“Hopefully that can be a consistent thing for us,” said Garrett, who had 17 points against Villanova. “It is kind of what we are lacking. If we can get a consistent third scorer, no matter who it is, we will be in a lot more games. Hopefully we can build on that.”
Garrett said McCallum can be that guy.
“He has such a high motor, he is going to get it off the glass,” Garrett said. “Early in the year he wasn’t shooting well from behind the arc. Once he starts to do that, he can absolutely be our third scorer.”
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Homecoming: DePaul’s connection to Morgan Park — Garrett’s alma mater — was not enough to land Marcus LoVett out of high school.
LoVett will be back in an opposing uniform on Sunday when the Blue Demons host St. John’s at Allstate Arena.
A redshirt last season because of NCAA regulations, LoVett has been worth the wait for the Red Storm (7-7), averaging 16.1 points, 3.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds.
Garrett and LoVett aren’t the only former Morgan Park point guards currently thriving on the Division I level.
California freshman Charlie Moore, Illinois’ Mr. Basketball in 2016, is averaging 16.1 points a game. Kyle Davis is averaging 7.9 points and 2.2 steals in his senior season at Dayton.
Fun with freshmen: UIC (7-6) played well in its four games without leading scorer Dikembe Dixson, going 3-1 and losing to Loyola in overtime since the 6-foot-7 sophomore was lost for the season to a torn ACL early in the Flames’ 80-75 victory over DePaul on Dec. 14.
The emergence of three true freshman guards gives coach Steve McClain reason for optimism heading into his second Horizon League season Friday against defending champion and preseason favorite Valparaiso.
In the Flames’ final tuneup for conference play, Godwin Boahen posted the first triple-double in program history, going for 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a 91-53 victory over Roosevelt on Dec. 22.
Boahen (9.2 points, 3.7 assists), Marcus Ottey (11.4 points) and Tarkus Ferguson (8.3 points) are all logging major minutes for McClain.
“Everyone makes it a big deal,” Boahen said. “If you are good it doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman.”
Big week: Loyola (10-4, 0-1 MVC) had a nine-day break before Thursday night’s 102-98 loss to Drake, but it didn’t really ease into the Missouri Valley Conference schedule.
The Ramblers’ conference start includes home games against two of the league’s top teams. They will host Illinois State in a 1 p.m. Sunday and Northern Iowa at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The Redbirds and Northern Iowa were picked to finish second and third, respectively in the MVC in the preseason behind Wichita State. Loyola was picked to finish seventh.
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.