DePaul would rather forget its non-conference slate this year. The Blue Demons were not only left looking for wins as they went 4-7 against non-league opponents, they were left searching for players. DePaul had lost its two top scorers and only consistent starters from last year’s 20-14 NIT quarterfinal team. Sammy Mejia (14.1 points, 2.6 assists) made the Blue Demons go last season, and his graduation hurt, but it was the decision of budding star and sophomore Wilson Chandler (14.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks) to enter the NBA draft that devastated DePaul. When the season started, the Blue Demons continued to lose players. Freshmen Kene Obi and Mario Stula have had troubles qualifying for NCAA play. The 7-foot-2 Obi was just cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse in December, and is likely to redshirt this season, while Stula is still waiting to see if he’ll be eligible. Throw in freshman Michael Bizoukas, who has only played five games this season due to mononucleosis, and Head Coach Jerry Wainwright has three players likely to redshirt. With sophomore Thijin Moses being dismissed from the squad for violating team rules and only two players playing in all 13 games this year, Wainwright has had a short bench all season. Against undefeated No. 13 Vanderbilt in early December, DePaul held a 12-point halftime lead and led for 19 and a half minutes in the second half before losing in overtime. Against then-undefeated and No. 18 Clemson, the Blue Demons again led at halftime before giving up 50 points in the second half to fall to 2-7 on the season. “I feel a little bit at times helpless,” Wainwright told the Chicago Tribune in early December. “If you’re playing a seven-card game, you’d like to have seven cards.” Heading into the conference season, it looked as though the Blue Demons would fall short of 11th place, where league coaches had slotted them before the season. But just a week into the season, the Blue Demons are one of three teams atop the standings with a 2-0 record. Along with 1-0 Georgetown, DePaul is one of four undefeated teams in the Big East after just 14 total Big East tilts. While the Blue Demons have beaten two quality opponents – No. 19 Villanova and Providence – depth continues to be a problem. They were outscored in the second half of each game, and in the conference-opener against the Wildcats, DePaul had only two players come off the bench – one of whom played just three minutes. Senior guard Draelon Burns leads the Blue Demons with 18.5 points a contest, but he attempts about 15 shots a game, connecting on only 40 percent. Freshman center Mac Koshwal anchors the inside for DePaul, with 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Wainwright is fortunate to even have Koshwal at his disposal. After being sidelined at Julian High School because of a problem with his transcripts, the Chicago-native transferred to the recently-founded and now-defunct Boys to Men Math & English Academy, which was under scrutiny from the NCAA Clearinghouse for being a “diploma mill” for academically-challenged basketball stars. The Hoyas seem to be the opposite of tomorrow night’s opponent. They are often praised for their academic accomplishments, and much has been made of senior point guard Jon Wallace’s recent acceptance to the Georgetown University Law Center. Georgetown has nine players averaging over 17 minutes per game, and their rotation did not change much in the league-opener against Rutgers. Though the starters played more than usual, the Hoyas’ three subs all logged double-digit minutes. They would have likely had four reserves with significant time had freshman guard Chris Wright not been out with an ankle injury. DePaul does have one thing going for it – the top teams in the conference have been dropping like flies in the first week of play. No. 15 Marquette lost by 15 to West Virginia, DePaul beat Villanova who then topped No. 20 Pittsburgh, and preseason co-favorite Louisville fell at home to Cincinnati. But if the Hoyas can avoid being upset by the rejuvenated Blue Demons, they will join Notre Dame and Syracuse atop the standings and have an early leg up on some of the other Big East heavyweights. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. EST at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.