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New Year's Rockin' Eve! Big East Hoops! CATCH THE FEVER! Your Fighting Hoyas of Georgetown open up the Big East slate with an early evening delight against DePaul, and here to dish on all things Blue Demons is WeAreDePaul.com, your place to go in search of any DePaul tidbits that may tickle your fancy. And I'm sure there are many! Away we go!
Who are some of the players that Georgetown needs to be aware of?
If you look at the Blue Demons roster, you'll see a lot of names that weren't on there last year. Three of them have managed to work their way into the starting lineup for DePaul. Freshman guard Billy Garrett, Jr. was just named Big East Rookie of the Week for the third time. Billy is coming off a game where he nailed the buzzer beating layup to win at Northwestern. So he's the hot hand right now. Garrett is making an impact as a top 100 recruit. DePaul has some new faces in the frontcourt too. Freshman Tommy Hamilton IV is showing some promise as well, but needs to stay out of foul trouble. Then there is Purdue transfer Sandi Marcius, who shows some flashes, but needs to be more consistent.
What's your perception of the new Big East so far? Who do you see making the Dance from the Conference?
Villanova's success sure does seem to be the biggest surprise so far. Marquette's struggles are also a bit surprising, but also not when you look at their injury situations. Overall, I think many hoped the Big East would fare better in non-conference play against the BCS conferences than they have. Creighton will be a fun team to watch as they work their way through the league schedule for the first time. I can still see Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette, and Creighton making the big dance with strong conference play performances.
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel created quite a stir when he announced oodles of public funding for a new arena for DePaul to play in. Meanwhile, people in Chicago are getting shot and the school system stinks. What's your take on the whole thing?
A more accurate depiction would be to ask why DePaul is donating $70 million to a city Public Events Center that they will only use a small fraction of the year? The reality of the situation, that some critics have failed to recognize, is that if the entire arena project were cancelled, not one penny from that project would find it's way to the school system or to fight crime. Not one cent. The public funds for the arena are all from the Chicago convention and tourism authority or what is called McPier or MPEA. Chicago is really no different than Washington D.C. or any other major city in that it must invest in it's Convention and Tourism business. Like D.C., Chicago does also have problems with the educational system and with fighting crime. The arena will allow the city to host some convention business that they can't currently compete for with the current facilities. What is overlooked by critics of the project is that it will generate new tax revenue in the form of hotel taxes and sales taxes. Taxes paid by visitors to the city. Two new hotels are also being constructed as part of the project. That tax revenue will end up going back to the school district and to fund crime prevention. The arena, hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. are all essential parts of transforming Chicago's South Loop neighborhood into a thriving convention and tourism district.
We have chatted in the past about Chicago's deep-dish pizza and the Chicago style hot dogs. Which restaurant's dish or sandwich is the city's best kept secret?
Have we talked about the Italian Beef? There are some great spots in the Windy City for beef. Or if you want the best of 2 worlds, get a Combo sandwich with an Italian sausage inside an Italian Beef sandwich. Nom, Nom.
Final score prediction?
Closer than many will think - 75-70 Hoyas
