CHICAGO _ Wintrust Arena sounded like it was located in Milwaukee.
The typically loyal Marquette fans made their trek south to outnumber _ or at least seem like it judging by decibels _ the Blue Demons fans Tuesday night in blustery Chicago.
But despite a 92-73 loss to No. 10 Marquette, DePaul fans have a reason to care. Finally.
Yes, it's baby steps. Chicago is far from being able to judge its city team by the same standards they do in Louisville or Raleigh.
But, yes, DePaul fans are rightfully frustrated at the repeated requests for patience.
The Blue Demons have been treading water so long at the bottom of the Big East that even approaching a .500 league record is significant progress. DePaul already has its most wins since it finished 20-14 in 2006-07 and with a strong finish in its final six regular-season games could make a case for an NIT invitation.
The question for DePaul fans is: Dare they hope?
The Blue Demons seemed miles away from the top of the Big East against the Golden Eagles.
But that's mostly because Marquette seems like a team stacks above almost everyone in the nation.
The Golden Eagles could cause trouble in the NCAA Tournament with their depth, speed, ball movement and shooting.
It doesn't hurt that they have one of the nation's best scorers, either.
Junior guard Markus Howard entered the game ranked fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 25.2 points per game. He had 18 (on 6 of 14 shooting) by halftime against the Blue Demons and he finished with a game-high 36.
Howard's 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 13 seconds left before halftime felt like a way-too-early nail in the coffin as the Golden Eagles headed into halftime with a 51-39 lead.
DePaul managed to challenge Marquette for about 16 minutes.
The Blue Demons had trailed 35-34 with 5:41 left before halftime, teasing fans into early upset dreams. Then the Golden Eagles put together an 11-0 run as Howard kept inventing ways to make shots.
He slithered in and out of defenses and kept DePaul scrambling.
Senior guard Femi Olujobi helped keep the Blue Demons close early with 5 of 6 first-half shooting for 15 points at the break. He finished with 19.
DePaul's notable victories this season came against Penn State (ranked No. 62 in Kenpom's metrics index), Seton Hall (65), St. John's (53) and Providence (76). Those are all upsets that mark the Blue Demons' improvement this season.
But Marquette made sure DePaul couldn't register a truly season-shaping victory.
