Second-half defense holding back Blue Demons

In the past, DePaul resembled a distance runner who provided opponents a head start, only to catch up with a late kick.

This season, the Blue Demons have frequently surged in front, only to find themselves choking on dust at the final buzzer. DePaul has blown second-half leads in 5 of its 7 losses, a troubling trend forged by lapses on defense.

Opponents have outscored DePaul 430-383 in the second half, averaging 43 points after intermission. Only twice has DePaul held an opponent to fewer than 40 points in the second half, and two teams (UIC and Clemson) have rung up 50 points on the Demons.

"I don't know what the answer is," senior swingman Karron Clarke said Thursday as the team assembled for practice. "It seems like every second half, we come out lackadaisical. … It's more of a mind thing."

Years ago, coach Jerry Wainwright always elected to have his team defend the basket next to its bench in the second half. But a rule change now requires teams to play offense on their end after halftime.

"If you look at our teams (in 2005-06) and this year, when they're in front of you, you can help them," Wainwright said. "We've always played better defense and better offense. You hate to say that, but what ultimately has to (happen) is a communication carry-over in the second half."

Clarke saw the communication improve in DePaul's last game, a 93-88 win against La Salle. Six players scored in double figures as the Demons shot 50 percent.

Still, defense was a drawback in a shootout victory.

Wainwright knew a switch to a more up-tempo style would affect DePaul's defense -- "The game is loose," he said -- but allowing opponents to shoot 45.9 percent is unacceptable.

"We're last in the Big East," Wainwright said. "I know we haven't padded our schedule … but certainly in conference play that can't be true."

Tucker back: Dynamic freshman Dar Tucker is expected to play Saturday at Detroit after serving a one-game suspension for what Jerry Wainwright called "a timing mistake." Tucker, who practiced Thursday, ranks second on the team in both scoring (13.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) but has struggled with the transition to college basketball.

The 6-foot-4 Tucker was not allowed to speak with reporters Thursday.

"Sometimes, little things become big things," said Wainwright, who compared Tucker's freshman year to Wilson Chandler's. "It's a big jump for kids to become responsible in all aspects of their lives.

"He's not been chronic, but there were back-to-back things here that caused it to happen. I'm sure he'll move on."

Short bench: DePaul likely will be undermanned for the foreseeable future.

Jerry Wainwright is considering redshirting freshman center Kene Obi, who wasn't cleared to play until Dec. 15. He might seek the same for freshman guard Michael Bizoukas, who hasn't played since Dec. 8 due to illness.

Bizoukas, who missed preseason practice with mononucleosis, still must undergo several tests. He played in just five games and likely would qualify for a medical hardship waiver, preserving a year of eligibility.

"All the symptoms of mono are still there," Wainwright said.

Freshman wing Mario Stula is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA because of amateurism issues. The NCAA recently has cracked down on international players like Iowa State's Lucca Staiger, who will lose a full year of eligibility because he played 82 teams for a pro team in Germany.

"I'm not real optimistic about how all that's going to turn out," Wainwright said. "I would have thought this would have come to be resolved a long time ago."