Depaul Takes On Kansas
12/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (4-3) hosts Kansas (7-1)
Tuesday, December 12, 2000United Center (21,000)
Chicago, Ill. - 8:00 p.m. (CST)
Records
DePaul is 4-3 after beating Chicago State 78-69 on Saturday. Kansas is 7-1 after falling 84-53 at Wake Forest on Thursday.
Polls
DePaul is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. Kansas is ranked eighth by Associated Press and eighth by ESPN/USA Today.
Series
Kansas owns a perfect 6-0 mark against DePaul including an 81-77 overtime win last season in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Winston-Salem. The last time the Jayhawks and Blue Demons met in Chicago was December 4, 1993 - a 79-74 KU victory at the Rosemont Horizon.
Coaches
DePaul's Pat Kennedy is in his 21st season as a head coach and his fourth with the Blue Demons. He has a 376-242 career record, including a 50-51 slate at DePaul. Pat is 0-3 against the Jayhawks. Roy Williams is in his 13th season at Kansas. His career record is 336-83. He is 3-0 against DePaul.
Television
Tonight's game is being televised nationally by ESPN with Bob Carpenter (play-by-play) and Larry Conley (color commentary) at the broadcast table.
Radio
Tonight's game will be broadcast on WSCR Sports Radio 670 AM in Chicago. Ron Gleason (play-by-play) and Mike North (color commentary) will handle the broadcast duties.
Officials
Jim Burr, Ted Hillary, Ed Hightower
Game Notes
DePaul UnitedDePaul is making its 2000-01 debut at the United Center. The Blue Demons will play three games at the UC during the season. Along with tonight's contest, Pat Kennedy's squad will also face Memphis (January 13) and Cincinnati (March 3) here.
DePaul At The UC
Tonight is DePaul's 13th appearance at the United Center. The Blue Demons are 5-7 in this building. Below are the results of DePaul's contests here at the UC.
Date Result Score Attendance 12/10/95 defeated Notre Dame 61-48 10,457 1/16/95 defeated Marquette 63-48 10,307 12/10/96 lost to Indiana 57-74 12,524 1/25/97 lost to Marquette 49-61 4,707 2/22/97 lost to Cincinnati 83-54 5,654 2/14/98 lost to Georgetown 59-65 3,429 2/28/98 lost to Louisville (ot) 82-85 4,927 1/9/99 defeated Marquette 75-60 8,692 2/13/99 defeated Memphis 81-75 7,113 2/24/99 lost to Duke 64-96 22,180 1/26/00 defeated Florida 71-69 10,515 2/19/00 lost to Louisville 54-71 13,036Lucky 7
The seven-game homestand that DePaul is currently in the midst of is the longest since the 1985-86 edition of the Blue Demons also played seven consecutive home contests. The longest homestand in school history came during the 1945-46 season when Ray Meyer's squad played eight straight home games.
Old Friends
Although he will be in street clothes, you might have to forgive DePaul's Marlon London if he walks to the wrong bench tonight. London, who is sitting out this season after transferring to DePaul, spent the previous two seasons as a member of the Jayhawks. After this season, London will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Reviewing The Last Game
DePaul returned home for the first time since November 17 and beat Chicago State at the Allstate Arena on Saturday. Below is a brief the game.
DePaul 78 Chicago State 69
December 9, 2000 - Allstate Arena - Rosemont, Ill. Imari Sawyer and Rashon Burno each tossed in 15 points and Steve Hunter chipped in with 14 to power the Blue Demons past the Cougars. Lance Williams added 13 points and Bobby Simmons scored 11 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
DePaul In The Polls
DePaul is getting votes in both the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and the Associated Press poll. Below is a listing of how the Blue Demons have been ranked this season.
Date AP ESPN/USA Today Preseason 21 20 Nov. 13 22 - Nov. 21 21 22 Nov. 27 votes 25 Dec. 4 votes votes Dec. 11 votes votesBig 12 Foes
Tonight is the second time in the last three contests that DePaul has taken the floor against a team from the Big 12 Conference. Last Wednesday, the Blue Demons dropped a 99-84 decision at Missouri.
NBA Action
There will be 21 NBA teams represented by 24 scouts in attendance tonight.
Simmons Starts
Bobby Simmons was in the starting lineup for Saturday's game at Florida and that should come as no surprise. Simmons, a 6-7 junior, has started every game of his Blue Demon career - a span of 71 consecutive games. He is the only DePaul player to start every game in the past three years.
Lance Is Rolling
Showing no signs of the foot injury that set him back last season, Lance Williams is returning to the form that he showed as a freshman. The 6-9 junior from Chicago is DePaul's leading scorer (averaging 16.9 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (7.6 rpg). Williams has led the Blue Demons in scoring in three of the last four games.
Lucky Number 12
DePaul's Bobby Simmons went 12-for-12 from the free throw line against Syracuse on Thanksgiving night, the fifth-best single-game total in school history.
Simmons Ties Record
By going 12-for-12 from the line against Syracuse, Bobby Simmons tied a Great Alaska Shootout single-game free throw percentage record (shared with Phil Cox of Vanderbilt vs. Clemson in 1982).
Simmons Reaches 800
Bobby Simmons became the 52nd player in DePaul history to score 800 points in a career against Syracuse on Thanksgiving night.
Sawyer Earns Award
Imari Sawyer was named the Conference USA Player of the Week on November 27. The 6-2 freshman dished out 30 assists in three Great Alaska Shootout games and scored 18 points against Florida State and 19 against Alaska Anchorage.
All-Tournament Honors
Both Bobby Simmons and Imari Sawyer were named to the Great Alaska Shootout's All-Tournament team.
Head Coach Pat Kennedy
Pat Kennedy is in his fourth season at the helm of the Blue Demons and his 21st as a Division I head coach. He is 376-243 in his career, including a 50-51 ledger at DePaul. Last March Kennedy became the third coach in school history to lead the Blue Demons to the NCAA Tournament and in February he signed a seven-year contract extension.
PK By The Numbers
Pat Kennedy's DePaul teams are 12-14 in December, 6-2 on Tuesday and 3-4 at the United Center.
Imari Dishes It Out
Freshman Imari Sawyer has posted some impressive numbers in his first four collegiate games. The 6-2 freshman has dished out 54 assists in the seven games (7.71 apg). He has recorded a double figure assist total in three games. Imari currently leads Conference USA in assists.
Sawyer Sets Record
Imari Sawyer handed out 30 assists in the three games in Alaska, setting a Great Alaska Shootout tournament record. The previous mark of 29 was set by Stanford's Brevin Knight in 1996.
Still Young
The overall makeup of the DePaul squad is young. DePaul's only seniors, David Bruno and Brian Cashin, have combined to play in 28 games over the last three seasons, and seven of the 12 players who will dress today are freshmen and sophomores.
Tough Slate
DePaul will face another formable schedule in 2000-01. Below is a listing of how the Blue Demon opponents rank in this week's polls.
Opponent AP ESPN/USA Today Kansas 8 10 Florida 9 8 Syracuse 12 12 Cincinnati 18 17 Charlotte 24 votes AP Votes: Charlotte, Missouri, Temple, South Florida, Southern Miss, St. Joseph's (Pa.) ESPN/USA Today Votes: Missouri, Memphis, Temple, Louisville, Southern Miss, South FloridaNew Coach
There is a new face on the Blue Demon bench this season in Donnie Kirksey. The Chicago native joined the DePaul staff last summer after former assistant coach Larry Harrison left to become the head coach at Hartford. Kirksey had previously been an assistant coach at today's opponent Chicago State.
RPI News
The Collegiate Basketball News RPI has DePaul currently ranked 119. Below is a listing of how DePaul's opponents rank on the same list. Chicago State 270 Cincinnati 3 Charlotte 13 Fairfield 244 Florida 48 Houston 241 Kansas 4 Louisville 153 Marquette 71 Memphis 132 Missouri 21 Northern Illinois 247 South Florida 82 Southern Miss 68 St. Joseph's (Pa.) 32 Saint Louis 59 Syracuse 14 Temple 47 Tulane 139 UAB 131 UCLA 140 New Titles
Tracy Dildy was elevated to Associate Coach this past summer while Brian Kennedy moved into a recruiting coach position.
Sign Here
During the November signing period, DePaul signed five prepsters and one junior college player to National Letters of Intent. Below is a listing of the players who signed with the Blue Demons.
Kenny Adeleke F 6-8 225 New York, N.Y. Eddy Curry C 6-11 290 South Holland, Ill. Drake Diener G 6-5 180 Fond du Lac, Wis. Quemont Greer F 6-7 215 Homestead, Fla. Sam Hoskin* F/C 6-9 260 Detroit, Mich. LeVar Seals G 6-4 180 Chicago, Ill. * junior college playerAt The UC
Along with tonight, DePaul will play two other games at the United Center this season - Memphis on January 13 and Cincinnati on March 3.
At The Allstate
DePaul plays 13 games at the Allstate Arena in 2000-01. The Blue Demons, who are 2-0 at the Allstate Arena this season, will be back in Rosemont on Sunday to entertain St. Joseph's (Pa.) at 1 p.m.
TV Time
The Blue Demons will be one of the most watched teams in America this season. Pat Kennedy's squad will have at least 20 games on television this season. Check page five of today's game notes for the television broadcast listings.
Loud & Clear
This season marks the start of the fourth year of DePaul basketball on WSCR and its family of stations but this season will be a bit different. After being heard at 1160 AM for the past three seasons, Blue Demon fans can now catch most of the action on 670 AM. The new 50,000-watt frequency allows DePaul games to be heard in 38 states and Canada. Due to scheduling conflicts, some of DePaul's games may be broadcast on one of WSCR's sister stations.
Pat Kennedy TV Show
Once again this season, DePaul fans can follow the Blue Demons via the Orthosport Pat Kennedy Show. There will be six shows airing this season beginning on December 9, December 17, December 30, January 6, February 7 and February 14. All of the shows will be televised by Fox Sports Chicago.
C-USA Teleconference
Every Monday at 10 a.m. (CST) all 12 of the Conference USA men's basketball coaches will be available via teleconference. DePaul head coach Pat Kennedy is scheduled to be on the call at 10:47 a.m. (CST). To participate, please call (913) 981-5508. The entire teleconference will be available on replay for the rest of the week beginning at 4 p.m. (CST) by calling (402) 633-6900.
Demons Picked Second
In a vote of league coaches, DePaul was picked to finish second in the American Division in the annual Conference USA preseason poll. Cincinnati was picked ahead of the Blue Demons. On the following page is the results of the voting.
American Division
Cincinnati
DePaul
Charlotte
Louisville
Marquette
Saint Louis
National Division
South Florida
Memphis
UAB
Southern Miss
Houston
Tulane
A Proud History
DePaul is one of 10 programs to have made 33 postseason tournament (NCAA & NIT) appearances. Below is a listing of the programs to have made 33 appearances.
St. John's 51 Kentucky 48 Louisville 40 Villanova 37 UCLA 37 North Carolina 37 Temple 35 Syracuse 34 DePaul 33 Marquette 33Around DePaul
The Blue Demon women's basketball team played Northwestern tonight at the DePaul Athletic Center. Head coach Doug Bruno's squad will face Illinois on Saturday here at the United Center immediately following the Illinois-Arizona men's game.
For Tickets
Season tickets are still available for the 2000-01 season. Fans can call the DePaul Athletic Ticket Office at (773) 325-SLAM. For single-game purchases, call TicketMaster at (312) 559-1212.
Demons On-Line
You can follow the Blue Demons all season long on the world wide web. The official homepage of the DePaul Athletic Department which is managed by TotalSports, is located at:
www.depaulbluedemons.com
Game notes, press releases, player profiles, game summaries and boxscores are all located on this site.
Up Next
DePaul continues this seven-game homestand as it returns to the Allstate Arena to host St. Joseph's (Pa.) on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Chicago.