DePaul’s Crowell officially enlists in US Army

Freshman guard Madeline Crowell has already had a very unique experience at DePaul. Crowell is a member of the basketball team, as well as the Army ROTC. Before the Blue Demon’s 91-65 victory against Villanova, Crowell took the U.S. Army Oath of Enlistment in front of her teammates, family and friends. Crowell comes from a line of military members, as her father, grandfather and two uncles are members of the Army. Crowell said she wishes to become a Medical Corps officer after graduation.

St. John’s takes over first place in Big East

St. John’s overtook the top spot in the Big East after a big road victory against Marquette. Poor shooting and turnovers plagued Marquette, but the Red Storm couldn’t pull away from the home team. With just six seconds left in the game, sophomore guard Danaejah Grant hit a clutch free throw to put the game out of reach for the Golden Eagles. Wednesday night pitted the Red Storm against Villanova, where St. John’s squeaked out a 59-52 victory. With the win, St. John’s moves to 6-1 in Big East play.

Zero Big East teams in Top 25

Yet again, there are no Big East teams within the top 25 of either rankings for college basketball. The last time the Big East Conference had a team in the Top 25 was when DePaul was ranked No. 25 in Week 4. The only teams receiving votes this week were St. John’s and DePaul. St. John’s received seven votes in the AP Poll and none in the coaches poll, while DePaul received one in the AP poll and four in the coaches poll.

Player of the Week – Brittany Hrynko – Junior – DePaul

Hrynko is one of DePaul’s leaders on the team, and this week showed just what she could do. Hrynko helped push the team to two wins last week. In the team’s game against Seton Hall, Hrynko notched 13 second half points. In Sunday’s tilt against Villanova, Hrynko shot 70 percent and had her third 20-point game of the season.

Game of the Week: Marquette at Creighton, Jan. 25, 4:05 p.m. CT

For the second straight Saturday, Marquette will face the second-best team in the Big East. The Golden Eagles are coming off two home games, where they fell to St. John’s and defeated Providence. Creighton enters the game after being handed only its second loss of the Big East season, coming at the hands of sub-.500 Butler. This matchup will feature Marquette’s No. 2 offense versus Creighton’s No. 2 defense in the conference.