Waves Hope to Be Next to Upset DePaul : Victory for Pepperdine Tonight Could Help at Tournament Time

Surprising Pepperdine, 5-1 in the West Coast Athletic Conference and 17-7 overall, had hoped to surprise nationally ranked DePaul tonight and end the Blue Demons’ long home winning streak in the Rosemont Horizon.

Dayton got here first, though. The Flyers knocked off the Blue Demons Wednesday night, for the second time in eight days, cutting DePaul’s 36-game home string.

That development might have reduced the Waves’ chances of sneaking up on the Blue Demons. It also may drop DePaul out of the Top 20.

Even so, Pepperdine Coach Jim Harrick thinks a victory over DePaul (14-6) would bring his team national recognition and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The Waves automatically will go to the NCAA regionals if they win the WCAC championship, but Harrick believes that a win over DePaul would also do the trick if Pepperdine isn’t the league titlist. “If we could pull an upset, I think we would put a lock on an NCAA tournament berth,” he said.

“DePaul probably has the better athletes, but our team has shown a great capacity to rise to the occasion this season. This group plays with a lot of heart, and, if they can’t get up for this game, I’ll have to check their heartbeats.”

Joey Meyer is in his first year as DePaul’s head coach after succeeding his legendary father, Ray, who retired with a record of 724-354 in 42 years with the Blue Demons.

If DePaul has athletes better than Pepperdine’s, they are probably 6-foot 6-inch senior forward Tyrone Corbin, who is leading his team in scoring with nearly a 16-point average and in rebounds with a 7.8 average; 6-9 sophomore forward Dallas Comegys, who is averaging 11 points and 4 rebounds, and 6-2 senior guard Kenny Patterson, who leads in assists and steals.

Before the season began, Pepperdine, which starts a lineup of underclassmen that includes a freshman and a sophomore, wasn’t considered a contender in the WCAC race, and Playboy magazine picked them for last place.

But the Waves, who like to run, have received double-figure scoring from all their starters: 6-5 junior guard Dwayne Polee (15.9), 6-8 sophomore forward Eric White (14.6), 6-7 junior forward Anthony Frederick (12.6), 5-11 junior guard Jon Korfas (12), and 6-7 freshman center Levy Middlebrooks (11).

Both Middlebrooks, who led St. Ignatius High School of San Francisco to the state final last year, and Frederick, a transfer from Santa Monica College, are new to major-college basketball. But Middlebrooks has shot 57% from the floor to lead the Waves, and Frederick is the team’s best shot blocker with 64.

In a 53-52 upset of conference favorite Santa Clara, the 190-pound Frederick rose to the occasion by blocking nine shots--several by 7-2, 260-pound center Nick Vanos--grabbing 19 rebounds and scoring 13 points.