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12. DePaul

Jerry Wainwright and I had some good times last winter. I enjoyed making fun of his cryptic quotes, and he kidded me about my hair (see blog header mug). Unfortunately for Coach Wainwright, that was pretty much the extent of the fun he had during a season of under-achieving, one that ended one game short of the NIT semifinals. It was a season in which DePaul was a trendy pick to surprise, but, in retrospect, the expectations probably outweighed the club's capabilities.

Three months later, Wainwright saw one of his Demons' names called in each of the first two rounds of the NBA draft, the only Big East team that can make that claim. With Sammy Mejia and early-entrant Wilson Chandler gone, Wainwright has a lot of scoring and rebounding to replace but plenty of prospects with whom to replace them. The Blue Demons' season will tip on whether a deep and talented freshman class is ready to contribute by the season's first tip. If it is, DePaul could fight for an NCAA Tournament. If not, the Demons may be in a fight for their Big East Tournament lives.

Draelon Burns is the only returning Demon who averaged at least seven points per game last season. While he led the team in 3-pointers (45), Burns showed little ability to do damage on the drive. He'll have to be an inside and outside man if he is to replace some of what Mejia and Chandler took with them. Burns could handle the point guard duties, but Wainwright is more likely to turn to junior Jabarie Currie or sophomore Will Walker to initiate the offense. Either or both could fill in ably in a complementary roll.

The top frontcourt players back in the fold are two young men maddening in their inconsistency. Both Karron Clarke and Wesley Green appear to have talent in abundance but neither has shown the ability to make that talent shine through each night. Clarke regressed in his junior season, one in which his minutes became sporadic before the new year. While playing 10 fewer minutes per game, every other meaningful stat also decreased. Clarke and his diverse skill set should benefit from Chandler's departure, as their games often overlapped, but it's unclear whether his tantalizing talent will become anything more than that in this, his senior season. Green can be a load in the post, but thanks to his affection for lackluster play, many Demons fans wonder whether he'll even be able to crack a lineup deep in freshman talent.

Nayal "Mac" Koshwal is the gem of Wainwright's latest recruiting class. An athletic wing who has the brute force of a big man, Koshwal should step in and start right away. He might be good enough to be the Demons' No. 2 offensive option after Burns, and his rebounding ability is unmatched on the squad. He'll need to work on his low-post scoring to give his game variety. Wainwright and his staff's hard work on the recruiting trail hardly finished with Koshwal. Darquavis Tucker is a top recruit who will bolster DePaul's perimeter depth while also providing a physical presence on the wing. He should be able to step into Burns' shoes as top perimeter option immediately after the veteran's departure, but he'll also give Wainwright effective minutes this winter. Mike Bizoukas and Mario Stula are also highly-regarded incoming freshmen who present DePaul with a bright future even if the present is a bit more gray.

Pace. It's something that made DePaul's games almost unbearable to watch last season despite the intriguing talent they put on the court. It's also what makes Wainwright's recruiting heist so improbable. The new high school player wants to play for an energetic coach with a fun style, but Wainwright doesn't offer either. Chandler was clearly dissatisfied with his collegiate experience. Wainwright's plodding style may not have had anything to do with Chandler's displeasure, but it certainly didn't help.

After last year's disappointments, Wainwright may find himself more comfortable in the underdog role that his overachieving Richmond teams enjoyed for years. If he can settle on a couple of his several options at point guard, develop the talented newcomers and get quality minutes from Clarke and Green, DePaul could arrive a year early. But expect the Demons to drift along the periphery of the Big East instead.