DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Host Hoyas in BIG EAST Opener
12/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - DePaul starts its 11th season of BIG EAST competition on Wednesday night against Georgetown at Allstate Arena. The Blue Demons wrapped up the non-conference scheduled with an impressive 82-61 win over No. 20/20 George Washington on Dec. 22.
Wednesday's game will be televised FS1 with Joe Davis (play-by-play) and Dickie Simpkins (analyst) handling the television duties. The broadcast can be seen on mobile devices with the FOX Sports Go app and online at www.foxsportsgo.com. DePaul's radio tandem of Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Jeff Blanzy (analyst) can be heard on WSCR 670 AM and online on BlueTube at www.depaulbluedemons.com. Live stats can be found on GameTracker at www.depaulbluedemons.com while in-game scoring updates and notes can be followed at www.twitter.com/depaulsid.
DePaul is at 6-6 while Georgetown stands at 7-5 this season. The win over the Colonials on Dec. 22 ended a three-game losing streak for the Blue Demons. Prior to the three-game streak, DePaul won four consecutive games from Nov. 23-Dec. 9.
Head coach Dave Leitao is in his fourth season at DePaul and his first since returning to the program after leading the Blue Demons to three postseasons in three years from 2002-05. Overall, the 2015-16 campaign is Leitao's 10th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Georgetown is led by John Thompson III who is in his 12th season leading the Hoyas.
Following the Georgetown game, the Blue Demons travel to Seton Hall Saturday. The game is the first of five straigh on FS1 for the annual BIG EAST marathon. The Blue Demons and Pirates scheduled for an 11 a.m. ET at Prudential Center in Newark.
BIG EAST Openers: The Blue Demons are 2-8 in BIG EAST first games with last season's league-opening win over Marquette serving as the first win since an 84-76 win over Villanova to start the 2007-08 conference schedule. DePaul started last season's conference slate with a 3-0 record marking the best start in conference play in program history.
DePaul has been a member of a conference since the 1991-92 season starting with membership in the Great Midwest Conference followed by a 10-year run in Conference USA. The Blue Demons joined the BIG EAST in July 2005 and are 6-18 all-time in conference openers.
Noting the Blue Demons: The men's basketball program is 1,425-948 (.601) all-time... the 82-61 win over No. 20/20 George Washington on Dec. 22 was win No. 1,425 since start of 1923-24 season... the Blue Demons have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 688 straight games... DePaul's last game without a three was Feb. 16, 1993 against UAB at Allstate Arena... the Blue Demons set school records in 2014-15 with 248 three's and 705 attempts... the Blue Demons are 334-168 (.665) all-time at Allstate Arena... DePaul is 10-2 (.833) all-time in games at McGrath-Phillips Arena... over the last five-plus seasons, DePaul is 15-2 against Chicagoland opponents (Chicago State, UIC, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Northwestern)... in the last 10-plus seasons, the record against locals is 20-6... DePaul faced UIC (Dec. 2 - W, 82-55), Chicago State (Dec. 5 - W, 92-76) and Northwestern (Dec. 19 - L, 78-70 (OT)) this season.
The Opponent: Georgetown stands at 7-5 overall entering the BIG EAST opener on Wednesday night... the Hoyas knocked off Charlotte, 62-59, on Dec. 22 to snap a two-game skid... prior to the two straight defeats, the Hoyas five straight games from Nov. 28-Dec. 12... D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera leads the team with 15.0 points per game and 25 three-pointers... Smith-Rivera also leads the team with 44 assists and 21 steals... Isaac Copeland adds 12.2 points while Bradley Hayes leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game to go with a 9.8 scoring average... head coach John Thompson III is in his 12th season at Georgetown... DePaul head coach Dave Leitao is facing Georgetown for the first time.
The Series: Wednesday is the 33rd all-time meeting between the two programs... the Hoyas hold a 25-7 advantage in the series... four of the last five meeting have been decided by seven points or less... Georgetown claimed both meetings last season... the Hoyas posted a 78-72 score at Allstate Arena on Jan. 13 and a 68-63 win at Verizon Center on Feb. 21... DePaul snapped a 14-game losing streak in the series with a 60-56 win in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament in March 2014... DePaul's last regular-season victory over Georgetown was a 78-51 win on Jan. 22, 1994... the two sides first played during the 1941-42 season with a 34-29 DePaul victory.
The Last Meeting: Georgetown defeated DePaul, 68-63 at Verizon Center on Feb. 21, 2015... Forrest Robinson knocked down five three-pointers off the bench to lead the Blue Demons with 17 points... DePaul closed the first half with an 8-2 run and trailed 30-27 heading into intermission... Robinson's fourth three of the night trimmed the deficit to two at 54-52 with 6:27 left in the game... Jamee Crockett finished with 13 points while Billy Garrett Jr. totaled eight points and seven assists... Georgetown was led by 19 points from D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double from Joshua Smith.
It Could Happen: A win gives the Blue Demons a 1-0 start in BIG EAST play for the second straight season and third time in 11 years... a win also snaps a two-game skid against Georgetown... the Hoyas won both meetings last season... on the all-time assists chart, Billy Garrett Jr. (263 assists) needs two assists to pass Joe Ponsetto (1974-78, 264 assists) for 23rd place on the all-time list... Tommy Hamilton IV needs 12 rebounds for 400 career... Rashaun Stimage needs three blocked shots to match his season total from last season... he totaled 22 blocked shots in 17 games as a junior.
Largest Margin in Ranked Win: According to ESPN, DePaul's 82-61 win over No. 20/20 George Washington on Dec. 22 was the largest margin of victory in program history as an unranked team over a ranked opponent.
Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul's 82-61 win against No. 20/20 George Washington on Dec. 22:
- DePaul opened the game with a 10-0 run and never looked back... the Blue Demons shot .554 (31-56) from the field while holding the Colonials to a combined .333 (17-51)... DePaul led by as many as 23 points in the second half.
- The win was No. 1,425 for the program since the start of the 1923-24 season... that season is the first fully recognized season of DePaul basketball... the Blue Demons played games prior to the 1923-24 campaign, but records are incomplete.
- Tommy Hamilton IV's first three-pointer in the first half was the 50th of his career... the game was the third game this year that Hamilton made multiple three-point shots... the Blue Demons are 3-0 in those games.
- Eli Cain hit the 100-point mark for the season when he scored the first DePaul basket in the second half.
- With the victory, head coach Dave Leitao is 40-11 (.784) all-time at Allstate Arena.
- George Washington was DePaul's first ranked opponent this season... a year ago, the Blue Demons went 1-4 against top 25 opponents... the Blue Demons recorded a 64-60 win at Seton Hall while dropping two games each to Butler and Villanova... DePaul's last home win over a ranked opponent was Jan. 3, 2008 with an 84-76 win against No. 17/16 Villanova at Allstate Arena.
- The series with George Washington is tied 3-3... DePaul is 116-98 all-time against the current membership of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Trendy: In addition to winning six games and dropping six games, DePaul is also winning by an average of 14.1 points per game and losing by an averge of 14.3 points per game... the Blue Demons have totaled 849 points through 12 games while allowing 850 combined points for the oppisition... DePaul's five home non-conference games are the fewest since playing five home contests during the non-conference portion of the 2007-08 schedule... the five home non-conference games are the fewest among the BIG EAST programs with no other school playing less than seven home games during the non-conference schedule... over the last nine games, DePaul is shooting .389 (61-157) from three-point range... in the first three games of the season, the Blue Demons went just 7-for-40 (.175) from behind the arc... the team combined for 23 blocked shots in four straight games before not recording a rejection at Stanford and two against Northwestern... the DePaul bench has outscore the opposition in eight of 12 games... for the season, the Blue Demon bench is averaging 22.4 points per game compared to a combined average of 20.7 for opponents.
Extra Frames: The Blue Demons are 0-1 this season when playing in overtime and 40-40 in program history. Prior to the 78-70 overtime loss to Northwestern on Dec. 19, the Blue Demons had won three of the previous four overtime games dating back to the start of the 2013-14 season.
Three Decades in Rosemont: DePaul is its 36th season in 2015-16 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. The Blue Demons are 334-168 (.665) all-time in Rosemont. DePaul University played its first season at the then-named Rosemont Horizon in 1980. The Blue Demons debuted in Rosemont with a 74-56 win over Gonzaga and John Stockton on Dec. 1, 1980.
DePaul's game at Allstate Arena against Chicago State on Dec. 5 was the 500th game in program history at the facility. Of the 502 games played in the arena, DePaul head coach Dave Leitao has coached in 51 games. He holds a record of 40-11 (.784) in Rosemont.
On Deck: DePaul travels to Seton Hall on Saturday for an 11 a.m. ET game at Prudential Center... Seton Hall is 10-2 this season and plays at Marquette on Wednesday night... DePaul swept the season series a year ago... overall, the Pirates lead the series, 10-6.
