Ready or not, it's time for Blue Demons to get serious.(Chicago Tribune)

CHICAGO _ Now it gets real_that's the easiest way to put it.

Those losses slapped on DePaul by Syracuse and Florida, by Missouri and Kansas? They provided some needed lessons. Those wins DePaul put up against Florida State and Chicago State, against St. Joseph's and Northern Illinois and Fairfield? They helped build confidence, but they were expected.

With the new year, the Blue Demons (8-4, 1-0) jump with both feet into Conference USA play, and it gets real. They already have survived the first of their league tests, topping St. Louis in mid-December. But with Marquette's Saturday visit to Allstate Arena, it's suddenly all about familiarity and neighborhood feuds, about increased …