DePaul vs. Marquette recap: Garrett Jr's three-point play leads Blue Demons past Golden Eagles

For 39 minutes and 52 seconds, the DePaul Blue Demons and Marquette Golden Eagles played a below-average, sloppy basketball game.

The teams combined for 29 turnovers, struggled from the field, and played poorly all around.

With 10 seconds to go, though, and the game tied at 54, Marquette's Duane Wilson missed a shot, but tipped in the rebound to give the Golden Eagles a 56-54 lead with seven seconds to play.

Wilson, who led all scorers with 19 points, appeared to ice the game for the Golden Eagles with the bucket. Marquette just needed one stop to beat DePaul.

But then, a funny thing happened. After all the misfortunes that have plagued the Charlie Browns of the Big East, DePaul finally had a bounce go their way.

Billy Garrett, Jr. drove into the lane, drew contact, converted a layup, and then sank the free throw to give the Blue Demons an improbable 57-56 victory in Milwaukee.

There is a lot to digest on both sides, given this result.

First and foremost, it deals a severe blow to Marquette's NCAA Tournament hopes. The Golden Eagles now face a scenario where they have a razor-thin margin for error. Attention now turns to the health of Henry Ellenson, as well. Ellenson, who got his shin banged against Xavier on Saturday, wore a sleeve on the shin for the whole game, and looked to be in pain at times. He finished with 11 points and six rebounds. The Golden Eagles will look to right the ship on Saturday when they head to New York to face St. John's.

For DePaul, this result likely won't change where they spend their postseason, but it's certainly a big step in the right direction for Dave Leitao's bunch. Myke Henry had 17 points and 12 rebounds, as he continues to emerge as DePaul's best player. The Blue Demons head to Hinkle Fieldhouse next to face a Butler team who will be hungry for a win. If only for one night, though, DePaul won.