March 6th, 2016: Butler at DePaul (Big East tournament)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: DePaul led from start to finish in a 76-49 dismantling of Butler. Megan Podkowa led the Blue Demons with 14 points. Tori Schickel had 14 points off the bench for Butler.

For ennui, uninspiring play, distant memories, bad hair decisions, and mismatches, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Big East basketball never stops. We're into the second session of the day now, as DePaul takes on a frankly overmatched Butler squad. We came back from dinner a bit late, so we missed any and all pregame festivities, and we're at the half, with DePaul leading 39-19. DePaul got hot from three in the first quarter, and while they cooled down from deep in the second, they kept the defensive and interior pressure up. Butler is in over their heads, and I think they even know it. Langlois is playing to extend her career, and Tori Schickel came on strong in the second quarter, but no one else is really following suit.

Don't tap DIBS in his bald spot. That's not cool, kiddies.

Stay classy, DePaul band. You're yelling "Eight more points!" when DePaul's at 61. I can do arithmetic. If that's the only way you're going to get it, then I pity you.

Why are there three campus police at the Butler band? This is probably not good. We're near the end of the third quarter, and now I'm curious. This game has been lopsided enough that I'm typing and watching at the same time. It's not great.

Emmy Schabel came on late for the Bulldogs and showed a little bit of touch- there's good form to her shot. Michelle Weaver didn't look quite as tiny in this one. She still needs to work on her court awareness. Taylor Buford was a little over-aggressive on defense, but I think she was just happy to be on the court after not playing against Xavier. Tori Schickel really showed some moves in the paint. She's tough inside, a physical player who can finish through contact. I like her. Nicole Orr's minutes were unremarkable.

I was surprised to see Brittany Ward bring the ball up the floor- that didn't seem to be part of her game. She was solid on the boards. Belle Obert had a big block on Megan Podkowa and held down the fort on the inside, but DePaul has a lot of size in unexpected positions, and tht really interfered with a lot of what Butler wanted to do.

Blaire Langlois played like a woman who didn't want her career to end. That led to her pressing a lot and taking a lot of shots. Her team relies on her for direction, and I'm not sure what they're going to do next season. Alexa Bailey had a stronger game than she did in the preliminary round, including a nifty block that led to a hustle save by Obert. Sydney Buck seemed to have more of an effect in the fourth quarter than the statistics would indicate. I have to look at the class years again- that might be something they can build on for next year, along with Schickel down low.

DePaul played pretty much everyone, so this might take a while. I didn't even realize Brandi Harvey-Carr was still active this year- I thought she was injured or something, since I remembered her being fairly high in their rotation and a big presence down low. She filled space well. Meri Bennett-Swanson showed a little bit of soft touch. Lauren Prochaska is slim and small and very confusing. Tanita Allen really didn't need to take that last three. Mart'e Grays has very fluid movements- she's not quite Matrix level, but she changes direction very quickly. Amarah Coleman looked too much like she was trying to get in position for playing time next year, taking a lot of quick shots. I really like Ashton Millender on defense- she does all the little things I like to see out of a player.

Tell me more about how Chanise Jenkins earned Big East Player of the Year. Please. Because I was against it before and I'm still against it. And I'm against her pigtails. I know. I'm petty like Tom. I will go to the wall for Tabatha Richardson-Smith as BEast POY. Jessica January had the better game for the Blue Demons, making neat passes to the wing. Brooke Schulte was very quietly efficient. She's another of those players who doesn't necessarily do one thing brilliantly, but does everything well. She's just solid.

Megan Podkowa's range is a game-changer for DePaul. She's very versatile, powerful inside and out. She's useful defensively, too, able to deflect passes. Jacqui Grant is a phenomenal rebounder- my notes from that game have a whole bunch of little 'r's next to her name, indicating that she did a particularly nice job pulling down, sealing off, stealing away, and generally claiming rebounds. She got caught reaching a few too many times and eventually fouled out. DePaul's pretty lucky to have her.

I'm finishing these up well after the fact, so if there were any egregious officiating calls, I don't remember them. But let's face it, it was 76-49, the refs weren't what I would call a factor.

Of all the quarterfinals, this was easily the least dramatic and the least interesting. Seton Hall and St. John's, of course, held my interest because they're my teams and I love them. Creighton and Villanova were interesting because of the upset and because Creighton is fun to watch. This was a game with a clear underdog and a clear over-dog, and Butler really never stood a chance- and they played like they knew they never stood a chance.