Marquette vs. DePaul: Three things to watch

Marquette faces DePaul in a "take care of business" game for the Golden Eagles at the BMO Harris Bradley Center at 8 p.m. Monday night.

MU (12-6, 3-3 Big East) is looking to cap a busy stretch with a victory over the struggling Blue Demons (8-9, 1-4). The Golden Eagles then get a nine-day break before a crucial stretch in the loaded Big East. 

Monday's game will be televised by FS1 with Jeff Levering and Dickey Simpkins and can be heard on AM-540 with Jim McIlvaine and Steve "The Homer" True.

Here are three things to watch:

1. John's improvement

MU freshman center Theo John has played 33 solid minutes over the last two games. He is showing more confidence with his jump hook using either hand. He shot 4 of 5 against Butler and earned enough trust from MU coach Steve Wojciechowski to start the second half. "I thought Theo played the best of our interior guys, and we wanted to give him a shot. I thought he played with the most physicality," Wojciechowski said after the 94-83 loss. 

2. Defense. Defense. Defense.

The Golden Eagles will need to stay connected defensively, something they have been inconsistent at this season. Max Strus, a 6-6 junior guard, leads DePaul with 18.2 points per game, but the Blue Demons have four players averaging double figures in points. Five different players have led DePaul in scoring this season. 

3. Aggressive Hauser

Sophomore wing Sam Hauser matched his collegiate high with 30 points against Butler. He also had 30 against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 27. But he followed that performance with just two points in 24 minutes against Chicago State. Against Butler, Hauser was aggressive in exploiting mismatches when the Bulldogs switched on screens. The Golden Eagles need him to continue doing that.