DePaul University Athletics
Pregame Read: DePaul vs. Incarnate Word
12/19/2018 3:05:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Blue Demons host Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
CHICAGO – Looking to improve to 8-0 at Wintrust Arena this season, the Blue Demons play host to Incarnate Word tonight with tip off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the South Loop. Here are three stats and storylines to get you ready for the game.
Strus Highlight Factory: As if posting a DePaul career-high 34 points, grabbing a DePaul-career high 13 rebounds and totaling eight three-pointers to tie DePaul's single-game record, with 13 minutes left against UIC on Friday evening Max Strus gave his performance an exclamation point that was heard around the BIG EAST and across Twitter and Instagram. Receiving the feed from Eli Cain at the top of the key, Strus exploded down the lane and took off a healthy, two feet in front of the circle. A UIC defender met him at the rim, but Strus' elevator kept going up as he completed a dunk that will surely be on most end of the year lists, slamming the ball with two hands through the basket, in the face of his defender.
Asked about where it ranks on his best in game dunks on his career, Strus was not ready to pronounce it his best ever.
"It's probably number two [on the list of best in game dunks I've had]," Strus said. "I had one back at Lewis [University] but they called a charge on it, but I'll take that one for today… It's pretty cool, it just gets our team going. I mean, it's a pretty good feeling, I don't really know how to explain it, but it feels good."
For Coach Leitao, who unprompted made the same comparison to Strus' dunk at Lewis, Friday night's dunk was as good as he has seen from his star senior.
"I saw it on film when he was on Lewis [University], he made a dunk like that, that'll make you drop the remote control like 'oh boy', and that's exactly what I saw today. I saw his eyes light up and then he went up and he just kept going up… it was as good a dunk as I've seen from him."
Turnover Central: In their last two games, the Blue Demons have posted their two highest points off turnovers totals of the season with 28 points off turnovers on Dec. 12 against Chicago State and 27 points off turnovers two days later against UIC. Central to that has been point guard Devin Gage who Leitao credited after the UIC game with helping the team push the pace when they turn their opponent over or get a stop.
"When you get stops, and credit goes for a lot of people, but Devin [Gage] did a really, really good job of putting the ball on the defense when we got defensive stops," Leitao said. "He got an outlet, he pushed the basketball, he was very aggressive. He knew he could pull up sometimes and I think he's become trustworthy on his midrange jump shot, he can get to the rim he's starting to distribute more and more so a tip of the hat to what he did, not only in creating early and easier opportunities offensively, but also in just managing the game the way he did."
Offense Clicking: Averaging 97 points per game in their last two contests, DePaul has taken their offensive output to another level in the past week. While Strus averaging 30.5 points per game in the two wins has certainly been central, so has the Blue Demons ability to get scoring contributions out of the whole rotation. In both the Chicago State and UIC games, DePaul finished with five in doubles figures, for a Blue Demon team that Coach Leitao sees as finding its offensive rhythm.
"Max played, obviously, lights out and as good as he's played since he's been in a uniform here and that carried over to the other guys," Leitao said after the UIC game. "I thought there was an offensive chemistry that I saw that I hadn't seen for longer stretches of time so we're going to hopefully build off of that and continue to grow and give ourselves a chance to keep getting better and better."
Strus Highlight Factory: As if posting a DePaul career-high 34 points, grabbing a DePaul-career high 13 rebounds and totaling eight three-pointers to tie DePaul's single-game record, with 13 minutes left against UIC on Friday evening Max Strus gave his performance an exclamation point that was heard around the BIG EAST and across Twitter and Instagram. Receiving the feed from Eli Cain at the top of the key, Strus exploded down the lane and took off a healthy, two feet in front of the circle. A UIC defender met him at the rim, but Strus' elevator kept going up as he completed a dunk that will surely be on most end of the year lists, slamming the ball with two hands through the basket, in the face of his defender.
Asked about where it ranks on his best in game dunks on his career, Strus was not ready to pronounce it his best ever.
"It's probably number two [on the list of best in game dunks I've had]," Strus said. "I had one back at Lewis [University] but they called a charge on it, but I'll take that one for today… It's pretty cool, it just gets our team going. I mean, it's a pretty good feeling, I don't really know how to explain it, but it feels good."
For Coach Leitao, who unprompted made the same comparison to Strus' dunk at Lewis, Friday night's dunk was as good as he has seen from his star senior.
"I saw it on film when he was on Lewis [University], he made a dunk like that, that'll make you drop the remote control like 'oh boy', and that's exactly what I saw today. I saw his eyes light up and then he went up and he just kept going up… it was as good a dunk as I've seen from him."
Turnover Central: In their last two games, the Blue Demons have posted their two highest points off turnovers totals of the season with 28 points off turnovers on Dec. 12 against Chicago State and 27 points off turnovers two days later against UIC. Central to that has been point guard Devin Gage who Leitao credited after the UIC game with helping the team push the pace when they turn their opponent over or get a stop.
"When you get stops, and credit goes for a lot of people, but Devin [Gage] did a really, really good job of putting the ball on the defense when we got defensive stops," Leitao said. "He got an outlet, he pushed the basketball, he was very aggressive. He knew he could pull up sometimes and I think he's become trustworthy on his midrange jump shot, he can get to the rim he's starting to distribute more and more so a tip of the hat to what he did, not only in creating early and easier opportunities offensively, but also in just managing the game the way he did."
Offense Clicking: Averaging 97 points per game in their last two contests, DePaul has taken their offensive output to another level in the past week. While Strus averaging 30.5 points per game in the two wins has certainly been central, so has the Blue Demons ability to get scoring contributions out of the whole rotation. In both the Chicago State and UIC games, DePaul finished with five in doubles figures, for a Blue Demon team that Coach Leitao sees as finding its offensive rhythm.
"Max played, obviously, lights out and as good as he's played since he's been in a uniform here and that carried over to the other guys," Leitao said after the UIC game. "I thought there was an offensive chemistry that I saw that I hadn't seen for longer stretches of time so we're going to hopefully build off of that and continue to grow and give ourselves a chance to keep getting better and better."
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