You would not have known it for the first 16 minutes of the second half, but Wichita State’s defense is the most efficient in Division I. Loyola torched the Shockers for 1.27 points per possession during that time, turning a 30-22 halftime deficit into a…
ROSEMONT, Ill. — A day after rising to the top spot in the Associated Press poll for the first time in program history, No. Villanova showed DePaul why it is also No. 1 in the Big East in opponent scoring. The Wildcats entered the day first…
CHICAGO — Defense has been Loyola’s calling card ever since making a run last February in the Missouri Valley. But after allowing Illinois State to shoot 58.3 percent from the field Wednesday, the Ramblers have allowed 1.22 points per possession in their last three games. Aside from…
ROSEMONT, Ill. — DePaul got a bit lucky Tuesday in its 77-70 victory against No. 11 Providence. Friars starting wing Jalen Lindsey missed the game due to illness, and midway through the first half starting forward Ben Bentil, the Big East’s leading scorer, injured his ankle…
INDIANAPOLIS — Amped up by a highlight video of current and former players such as Matt Howard making hustle plays, Butler’s typically subpar defense looked excellent Wednesday in the team’s 67-53 win, holding DePaul to 0.84 points per possession at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs, whose defensive…
CHICAGO — Little Rock’s highly touted defense shut down DePaul on Saturday as the Trojans ran away from McGrath-Phillips Arena with a 59-37 win. Little Rock, which entered with the nation’s 69th-most efficient defense on KenPom, held DePaul (5-4) to a 39.8 effective field-goal percentage. The…
CHICAGO — Northern Iowa is incredible defensively. The Panthers have the 16th-most efficient defense in the nation, according to kenpom.com, after a 58-39 throttling of Loyola on the road Wednesday. That’s surprising because Northern Iowa had nearly the exact same group of players last season, and that…
NORMAL, Ill. — Northern Iowa trailed by 12 points against Illinois State with 10:46 remaining. In a hostile road environment at Redbird Arena, a come-from-behind win seemed unlikely for the Panthers. Their win probability had sunk below 10 percent, according to Kenpom. But a rare defensive switch…
UIC had a chance to be 2-0 in the Horizon League for the first time in Howard Moore‘s five-year tenure, but the Flames fell Sunday to Cleveland State, 74-69. The Flames dug a double-digit hole in the second half, and their comeback attempt arrived too late.…
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Last season was a disaster that UIC coach Howard Moore would like to forget. The Flames won just six games all season, finishing 1-15 in the Horizon League. And that was just one year after Moore had led the team from eight wins to…
