DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Faces Syracuse In NIT Second Round
11/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (1-0) at Syracuse (1-0)
Carrier Dome (33,000) - Syracuse, New York
6:00 p.m. CST
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WSCR (670 AM)
In The Preseason NIT
This is DePaul's third appearance in the Preseason NIT. The Blue Demons finished fourth in 1989 and lost in the opening round in 1995. Overall, DePaul is 2-3 in the preseason NIT. Below are DePaul's all-time results in the Preseason NIT.
DePaul In The Preseason NIT
1989
Nov. 15 def. Ohio State, 71-53 (Rosemont, Illinois)
Nov. 17 def. North Carolina State, 70-63 (Rosemont, Illinois)
Nov. 22 lost to St. John's, 53-52 (Madison Square Garden)
Nov. 24 lost to UNLV, 88-53 (Madison Square Garden)
1995
Nov. 15 lost to Michigan, 73-65 (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
2001
Nov. 12 def. Fordham, 70-61 (Rockford, Illinois)
What's Next?
The winner of tonight's game will advance to the Preseason NIT semifinals on Wednesday, November 21 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Number Please
There is a change to the DePaul roster that is in the 2001-02 Media Guide. Junior Marlon Brooks will wear jersey number 2 this season instead of the number 30 as listed in the media guide.
Reviewing The Last Game
DePaul opened the season with a 70-61 win over Fordham on Monday in Rockford Illinios. Sam Hoskin led the Blue Demons with 26 points while Andre Brown had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Exhibitions
DePaul finished the exhibition portion of the 2001-02 season with a perfect 2-0 record. Following are brief summaries of those two victories.
DePaul 114 EA Sports All-Stars 96
November 1 - DePaul Athletic Center
Lance Williams led five DePaul players in double figures as the Demons erupted for 114 points in the win. Along with Williams, Drake Diener added 18 points (in 16 minutes of action) while Andre Brown chipped in with 16, Joe Tulley 15 and Marlon London 10. Imari Sawyer dished out a game-high 10 assists. The 114 points was tied for the highest point total a Pat Kennedy-coached DePaul team has ever scored.
DePaul 88 Illinois All-Stars 77
November 4 - DePaul Athletic Center
Andre Brown posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Blue Demons survived 39-percent shooting to win their exhibition final. Imari Sawyer added 14 points while Lance Williams had 13 points and seven rebounds. Sam Hoskin scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in his DePaul debut after missing the first exhibition game with a concussion.
Oh Captain, My Captain
The Blue Demons will have four players serve as team captains during the 2001-02 season. Seniors Rashon Burno and Lance Williams along with juniors Joe Tulley and Marlon London have all earned the honor. This is the third year for Burno as the team captain, a DePaul first.
Kennedy Closing In
DePaul head coach Pat Kennedy is 15 wins shy of reaching the 400-victory plateau. He currently ranks 30th among active coaches in victories with 385.
Burno Ranking
Senior Rashon Burno, the only three-time team captain in school history, enters his senior season ranked among DePaul's all-time leaders. The 5-7 guard is fifth in steals (160), 11th in assists (159), tied for 11th in 3pt. field goals made (72) and 12th in 3pt. field goals attempted (219).
Williams Nears 1,000
Senior Lance Williams needs 116 points to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career. He would become the 39th player in Blue Demon history to reach that plateau. Williams is currently 50th in all-time scoring at DePaul with 884.
Randy Redshirt
Junior Randy Ramsey will sit out the 2001-02 season as a redshirt. While he will not play in games, Ramsey will still be able to practice with the Blue Demons. After this season, Randy will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Tough Slate
Below is a list of how DePaul's opponent rank in the first ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll of the season. The first Associated Press rankings of the season have yet to be released.
AP
Missouri - 8th
Memphis - 12th
Temple - 16th
Syracuse - 21st
AP votes - Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Saint Louis, Louisville, South Florida
ESPN/USA Today
Missouri - 9th
Memphis - 13th
Temple - 17th
Syracuse - 20th
ESPN/USA Today votes - Cincinnati, Charlotte, South Florida
At The Allstate
Entering the 22nd season of playing at the Allstate Arena (formerly the Rosemont Horizon), the Blue Demons will play 12 games in Rosemont this season beginning on November 25 when Youngstown State comes to town for a 2 p.m. contest. DePaul is 224-68 (.752) all-time in Rosemont.
At The UC
DePaul will play three games at the United Center this season starting on December 1 when the Blue Demons face Notre Dame in the Dell Classic 4 Kids. The game is part of a doubleheader with Texas facing Stanford at 11 a.m. followed by the Blue Demons and Fighting Irish. DePaul is 5-10 all-time at the United Center.
New Face
There will be a new face on the DePaul bench this season as Jim Todd has joined the coaching staff. Todd, who was hired last spring, comes to the Blue Demons after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. He also served as an assistant with the Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to joining the NBA ranks, Todd was a successful head coach at Salem State.
C-USA Predictions
In a vote of league coaches, the Blue Demons were picked to tie for fifth in the American Division. Below are the results of that voting.
AMERICAN
1. Cincinnati
2. Charlotte
3. Marquette
4. Louisville
5. DePaul
Saint Louis
7. East Carolina
NATIONAL
1. Memphis
2. South Florida
3. UAB
4. Southern Miss
5. TCU
6. Houston
7. Tulane
Loud & Clear
This is the fifth year for DePaul basketball on WSCR and its family of stations. Tonight's game is being heard on Sports Radio 670. The majority of DePaul's games this season will be heard on 670 AM or its sister station WCKG (105.9 FM).
For Tickets
Tickets are available for all DePaul home games by calling TicketMaster at (312) 559-1212. Fans with questions can contact the Blue Demon Athletic Ticket Office at (773) 325-SLAM (7526).
Did You Know?
DePaul is one of 22 schools that have made 21 or more appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Below is the list of those schools.
Arkansas
Connecticut
DePaul
Duke
Georgetown
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kansas State
Kentucky
Louisville
Marquette
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Princeton
St. John's
Syracuse
Temple
UCLA
Utah
Villanova