DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Open 76 Classic Against Oklahoma State
11/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Nov. 24, 2010
| DePaul (1-1) vs. Oklahoma State (3-0) | |
| Date & Time | Thursday, Nov. 25 at 1:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. CT) |
| Arena | Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, Calif.) |
| Ticket Information | 76 Classic |
| TV | ESPN2 (PbP: Dave Flemming | Analyst: Sean Farnham) |
| Online Video | ESPN3.com |
| Online Radio | BlueTube (PbP: Zach Zaidman | Analyst: Laurence Holmes) |
| Twitter Updates | @depaulsid |
| Game Notes | DePaul | Oklahoma State |
ANAHEIM, Calif. - The DePaul men's basketball team wraps up Autumn quarter exams and heads West for the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. DePaul is one of eight teams competing in the event at the Anaheim Convention Center and opens play on Thanksgiving Day against Oklahoma State. The Blue Demons and Cowboys square off at 1:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. CT) on ESPN2.
Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) handle the ESPN2 duties while DePaul's radio duo of Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Laurence Holmes (analyst) call all the action online on BlueTube at www.depaulbluedemons.com. In-game scoring updates and notes can be followed as well at www.twitter.com/depaulsid.
DePaul enters the game at 1-1 following a win over Chicago State at McGrath Arena on Nov. 14 and a loss to Western Carolina at Allstate Arena on Nov. 16. Oklahoma State enters the holiday weekend at 3-0 after defeating Nicholls, 76-56, on Sunday.
Following the Oklahoma State game, the Blue Demons face either Virginia Tech or Cal State Northridge at either 11:30 a.m. PT or 2 p.m. PT on Friday.
Home for the Holidays: DePaul's 2010-11 roster features two California natives in junior center Krys Faber and sophomore forward Tony Freeland. Faber attended Ribet Academy in Palmdale and Freeland played at Fremont in Los Angeles. Freshman guard/forward Moses Morgan, from Las Vegas, is also expected to have family watching the Blue Demons in Anaheim.
Familiar Faces: DePaul head coach and members of his staff are making their second straight appearance at the 76 Classic after leading the Clemson Tigers to Anaheim a year ago. Purnell and Clemson went 2-1 in the tournament including a win over 10th-ranked Butler. After opening the tournament with a 69-60 loss against Texas A&M, the Tigers knocked off Long Beach State, 87-79, before a 70-69 win over Butler. The win over the Bulldogs marked Purnell's third win over a top 10-ranked team.
Along with Purnell, associate head coach Ron Bradley, director of basketball operations Josh Postorino and video coordinator Andy Farrell all made the trip to the 76 Classic last season on Purnell's staff at Clemson.
Getting Busy Early: The Oliver Purnell era opened with a bang as the Blue Demons racked up 114 points in a victory over visiting Chicago State. Among the notes from the season-opening 114-81 win on Nov. 14:
- DePaul reached the century mark for the first time since a 108-69 win over Syracuse on Mar. 2, 2006.
- The 114 points are tied for ninth (fourth time) all-time and it marked the 12th time in DePaul history that a team scored 114 points or more in a game.
- The scoring total was the highest in a game since a 114-69 win at American-Puerto Rico in the San Juan Shootout on Nov. 25, 1999.
- It was just the second game since 2000 that the Blue Demons scored 100 or more points.
- The Blue Demons are 69-0 all-time when scoring 100 or more points.
- While it was just the third all-time game at McGrath Arena, it shattered the previous scoring mark of 83 points against Hofstra on Mar. 14, 2007.
- The game was the sixth season-opener for DePaul to eclipse the 100-point mark. The 114 points are the highest in program history in the first game of the season.
- On the flip side, DePaul has allowed 100 or more points in the season opener on one occasion. The Blue Demons lost 108-85 at UCLA on Nov. 25, 1978. DePaul went on later that season and defeated the Bruins, 95-91, in the NCAA Regional Final to advance to the 1979 Final Four.
Noting the Blue Demons: The men's basketball program is 1,366-838 (.620) all-time... the Blue Demons have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 519 straight games... DePaul's last game without a three was Feb. 16, 1993 against UAB at Allstate Arena... DePaul is 3-0 all-time in games at McGrath Arena... the Blue Demons host Ball State at McGrath Arena on Dec. 11... the Nov. 16 game against Western Carolina was the 425th for DePaul at Allstate Arena... the Blue Demons are 302-123 (.712) all-time in Rosemont.
Opponent No. 3 - Oklahoma State Cowboys: Oklahoma State heads to Anaheim with a 3-0 record... the Cowboys have knocked off Houston Baptist (86-73), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (68-58) and Nicholls (76-56)... Marshall Moses and Keiton Page led the team with 16.7 points per game and 13.0 points per game... Darrell Williams is averaging a team-best 11.7 rebounds per outing along with a scoring average of 8.3... the Cowboys were picked to finish eighth in the preseason Big 12 poll... head coach Travis Ford is in his third season in Stillwater... he holds a 48-23 record at Oklahoma State.
The Series: DePaul and Oklahoma State meet for the 20th time since the 1939-40 season.. Thursday's action is the first meeting since Dec. 22, 1990... in that game, the Cowboys defeated the Blue Demons, 72-70, in the Old Style Classic at the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena)... in 1945, the two sides squared off in the Red Cross Benefit Game at Madison Square Garden in a matchup of the NIT and NCAA Champions... Oklahoma State won that game, 52-44.
The Last Meeting: Oklahoma State knocked off DePaul, 72-70, in the consolation game of the Old Style Classic at the Rosemont Horizon... David Booth led the Blue Demons with 20 points and nine rebounds... Booth was an assistant coach at DePaul last season and is now a scout for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets... Byron Houston led the Cowboys with a 18-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Against the Big 12: DePaul is 30-32 all-time against the Big 12... DePaul's most common Big 12 opponent is Oklahoma State (8-11) followed by Texas (4-6) and Kansas (1-7)... the last Big 12 opponent was Kansas... the Jayhakws defeated the Blue Demons, 84-66, in Lawrence on Dec. 8, 2007.
Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul's 69-64 loss against Western Carolina on Nov. 16:
- DePaul opened its 31st season at Allstate Arena... the Blue Demons are 302-123 (.711) all-time in Rosemont... the game was No. 425 for DePaul at Allstate Arena.
- Brandon Young reached double-figures for the second time in as many collegiate games... Krys Faber recorded his second career double-figure game.
- Faber set career-highs in free throws and free throw attempts... he went 6-for-8 from the line.
- Western Carolina are now 2-11 all-time against BIG EAST teams... they have won two straight against BIG EAST foes... Western Carolina won at Louisville, 91-83, last season on Dec. 12, 2009.
- Tuesday was the second meeting between the two programs... the series is now tied, 1-1.
- Both games have been played at Allstate Arena.
It Could Happen: A three-pointer extends DePaul's streak to 520 consecutive games with at least one trifecta... Devin Hill needs four blocked shots to pass Andre Brown (2000-04, 70 blocks) for 14th all-time at DePaul... a win would be the third straight at the 76 Classic for Oliver Purnell... he led Clemson to back-to-back wins a year ago after dropping the first game of the 2009 76 Classic.
It's Been a While: DePaul freshman Brandon Young has put together back-to-back games in double-figures to open his collegiate career. He is the first rookie to score at least 10 points in the first two games since Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons and Lance Williams all did it to start the 1998-99 campaign. In addition to leading the Blue Demons with a scoring average of 13.5 points through two games, Young also has a team-high 11 assists.
Five for 400: Oliver Purnell has compiled nearly 400 victories in his 23 seasons as a NCAA Division I head coach at Radford (1988-91), Old Dominion (1991-94), Dayton (1994-03) and Clemson (2003-10). He is in his first season at DePaul with a career record of 395-280 and needs just five victories to reach the 400-win plateau. He has recorded a milestone win at each stop of his coaching career with his first victory at Radford, his 100th win at Old Dominion, his 200th victory at Dayton and win No. 300 was with Clemson.
Getting Settled: A year ago, DePaul struggled at the free throw line and ranked last in the NCAA rankings with a team free throw percentage of .582. Through the first two games of 2010-11, the Blue Demons are a combined 45-of-66 (.682) from the charity stripe.
A closer look at the numbers show that DePaul's second-half percentage is nearly 22 percent higher than in the first half. The Blue Demons are a combined 21-for-36 (.583) from the line in the first 20 minutes compared to a free throw percentage of .800 (24-30) in the second half. Individually, Brandon Young is 1-of-6 (.167) in the first half this season and a perfect 4-for-4 in the second half while Tony Freeland is 0-for-4 in the first half and 6-of-7 (.857) in the second period.
One final comparison to last season at the free throw line sees the Blue Demons almost doubling their trips to the line after averaging 17.1 free throw attempts last season compared to 33 attempts per game over the first two contests of 2010-11.
