DePaul Hosts Central Michigan on Sunday
12/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Dec. 4, 2010
| DePaul (2-4) vs. Central Michigan (2-4) | |
| Date & Time | Sunday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. |
| Allstate Arena Information | Tickets | Directions |
| Online Video | BlueTube (PbP: Steve Olken | Analyst: Stephen Howard) |
| Twitter Updates | @depaulsid |
| DePaul Information | Game Notes | Media Guide | Roster | Schedule | Statistics |
Central Michigan Information | Game Notes | Media Guide | Roster | Schedule | Statistics |
CHICAGO - The Blue Demons face their second straight opponent from the Mid-American Conference in a Sunday evening game against the Central Michigan Chippewas. DePaul knocked off Northern Illinois, 86-84, on Thursday night to end a four-game losing streak. The Blue Demons and Chippewas are scheduled for a 5 p.m. start at Allstate Arena as both teams enter the game with 2-4 records.
Sunday's game can be seen and heard online on BlueTube with Steve Olken (play-by-play) and Stephen Howard (analyst) calling the action. BlueTube is DePaul's official online audio/video player at www.depaulbluedemons.com. In-game scoring updates and notes can be followed as well at www.twitter.com/depaulsid.
Following the Central Michigan game, the Blue Demons hit the road for a game at Indiana State on Dec. 8. The Blue Demons and Sycamores renew the series highlighted by the 1979 NCAA Final Four game that saw Larry Bird and Indiana State defeat Mark Aguirre and DePaul by a 76-74 score. DePaul's radio duo of Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Laurence Holmes (analyst) call the action on WSCR 607 AM starting at 7 p.m. CT.
Noting the Blue Demons: The men's basketball program is 1,367-841 (.619) all-time... the Blue Demons have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 523 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 303-123 (.711) all-time in Rosemont.
Opponent No. 7 - Central Michigan Chippewas: Central Michigan enters Sunday's action at 2-4 following a 65-53 loss against Temple on Wednesday... the Chippewas are making their second trip to Chicago in three games... Central Michigan defeated UIC at The Pavilion, 62-52, on Nov. 24... freshman Trey Zeigler leads the team with 16.5 points per game... he is followed by senior Jalin Thomas with a scoring average of 16.0... senior William McLure grabs a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game while Zeigler is second with 6.0 boards per outing... head coach Ernie Zeigler is in his fifth season at Central Michigan.
The Series: Sunday is just the second all-time meeting between the two programs... DePaul posted a 92-56 decision at Allstate Arena on Nov. 30, 2002.
Last Meeting: Delonte Holland led five players in double-figures with 20 points in a 92-56 win on Nov. 30, 2002 at Allstate Arena... Sam Hoskin followed with 17 points and Drake Diener added 16... Joe Tulley and Quemont Greer rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points apiece... DePaul started quickly and never looked back as they led, 48-22, at halftime.
Against the MAC: DePaul is 75-33 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference... DePaul's most common MAC opponent is Northern Illinois... the Blue Demons defeated the Huskies, 86-84, in the 29th meeting on Dec. 2... DePaul and Western Michigan have met 28 times... in addition to Northern Illinois and Central Michigan, DePaul also faces Ball State (Dec. 11) this season.
It Could Happen: A three-pointer extends DePaul's streak to 524 consecutive games with at least one trifecta... Jeremiah Kelly will be playing in his 70th career game... Krys Faber will by playing in career game No. 65... Tony Freeland could be making his 10th career start... a win would be No. 397 for head coach Oliver Purnell... a win would improve DePaul's record to 76-33 all-time against the Mid-American Conference and 2-0 this season... the Blue Demons also host Ball State at McGrath Arena on Dec. 11.
It's Been a While: DePaul freshman Brandon Young has scored in double-figures in each of his first six collegiate games. He is the first rookie to score at least 10 points in the first six contests since Lance Williams started the 1998-99 season with nine straight games in double-figures. Quentin Richardson opened his collegiate career with Williams and recorded double-figures in his first four games while Bobby Simmons accomplished the feat over his first three games at DePaul.
In addition to leading the Blue Demons in scoring at 13.8 points per game, Young also shares the team lead with Jeremiah Kelly with 19 assists.
Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul's 86-84 win against Northern Illinois on Dec. 2:
- Tony Freeland was named the Jay Goedert Memorial Award winner... the award goes to the most outstanding player in the DePaul-Northern Illinois game... Goedert was an assistant coach at both DePaul and Northern Illinois who passed away in 2004 at age 44.
- Freeland registered a career-high 25 points... his previous career high of 21 points was set earlier this season in the opener against Chicago State on Nov. 14... with nine rebounds he was one board shy of his first career double-double.
- Brandon Young reached double-figures for the sixth time in as many collegiate games... he is the first freshman since Lance Williams in the 1998-99 season to start collegiate career with six straight games in double-figures.
- DePaul junior forward Devin Hill missed the game and is out for 4-6 weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot.
- Xavier Silas of Northern Illinois matched his career high with 34 points... it marks the third time this season and in his career he has scored 34 in a game (last vs. UMES on Nov. 24, 2010).
- Thursday was the 29th meeting between the two programs... DePaul leads the series, 23-6.
- The win snapped a two-game losing streak in the series for DePaul.
- The Blue Demons are 14-1 all-time in home games against the Huskies.
Four 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 396-280 and needs just four 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 six games of 2010-11, the Blue Demons are a combined 113-of-157 (.720) from the charity stripe.
A closer look at the numbers show that the team increases its free throw percentage as the game moves into the second half. The Blue Demons are a combined 56-for-81 (.691) from the line in the first 20 minutes compared to a free throw percentage of .764 (55-72) in the second half. Individually, Brandon Young is 8-of-14 (.571) in the first half this season and 8-for-10 (.800) in the second half while Tony Freeland is 13-for-22 (.591) in the first half and 14-of-18 (.778) in the second period. Krys Faber is the team's best second-half free throw shooter with a percentage of .842 (16-19) in the second stanza. He is 4-of-6 (.667) in the first half.
One final comparison to last season at the free throw line sees the Blue Demons increasing their trips to the line after averaging 17.1 free throw attempts last season compared to 26.2 attempts per game over the first five contests of 2010-11.
