DePaul University Athletics
Pregame Read: DePaul vs. Boston College
12/22/2018 8:28:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Blue Demons and Eagles meet at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon at Wintrust Arena
CHICAGO – Fresh off Wednesday night's 81-71 win over Incarnate Word, DePaul looks to improve to 9-2 on the season and 9-0 at home as the Boston College Eagles travel to the South Loop for a 2:30 p.m. tip at Wintrust Arena. Here are three stats and storylines to get you ready for the game.
Perfect At Home: For DePaul, with a flawless 8-0 record at home to start the season, the Blue Demons appear to be settling in nicely to playing at the Wintrust Arena in year two. In Boston College, the Blue Demons face arguably their toughest test on their home court this year, as the 8-2 Eagles are coming off wins versus Columbia and Fairfield. Asked after the game about the team's early success at home this year, senior guard Eli Cain credited the group's ability to "lock in".
"I think it's just, I guess you could say it's our ability to lock in at home," Cain said. "I don't think it really matters where we're [playing] though. I mean, obviously, the fans and the atmosphere changes a little bit but I think it's something we have to stand by throughout the season. You're always supposed to protect your home court and I think we're doing a pretty good job of that, and we've got to keep doing it through conference play."
Scoring Depth: On Wednesday night when DePaul beat Incarnate Word at Wintrust Arena, the Blue Demons recorded their third consecutive game where five players finished with double-digit points. Scoring output from the whole rotation has been a theme all year for the Blue Demons as seven different players are averaging at least 7.5 points per game. For Coach Leitao the three straight games with five in double figures is a good indication of an effective, multi-dimensional offense.
"Our balance is starting to get really good and [in addition to the five in double figures] JB [Jaylen Butz] had eight points," Coach Leitao said. "We talked about that from the start of the season and I think guys are becoming more comfortable. And when they get more comfortable and understand what their role is offensively for us to be good, then you combine it with some effervescence of how they move the ball and how they share the ball, those kind of things, then we have a chance to be pretty good."
For Eli Cain, the team's well-rounded scoring output speaks to the talent on the roster top to bottom.
"I think we do have a lot of depth," Cain said. "We have a lot more talent this year from top to bottom, a lot of guys that can do various things on the offensive end, so I just think that [three straight games with five in double figures] is a byproduct of the talent and ability we have on this team."
Ready For a Larger Role: With the unfortunate news that junior Jalen Coleman-Lands is sidelined with a broken left hand, guards Lyrik Shreiner and Flynn Cameron will be called upon for increased minutes in Coleman-Lands' absence. For Schreiner, the Phoenix native landed at DePaul after playing at TCU in 2015-16 and Cal State Northridge in 2017-18. For Cameron, the 6'3" freshman guard comes to DePaul after representing New Zealand at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship. Asked about what Blue Demon fans can look forward to from Shreiner, who was the first guard off the bench in the Incarnate Word game, senior Max Strus highlighted the junior's coachability and defense.
"He's just going to come in and try to do the right thing," Strus said. "Do what coach asks him to do, play defense, lock down the other team's best player, make plays for other people on offense. Just step in and do what we need him to do."
Perfect At Home: For DePaul, with a flawless 8-0 record at home to start the season, the Blue Demons appear to be settling in nicely to playing at the Wintrust Arena in year two. In Boston College, the Blue Demons face arguably their toughest test on their home court this year, as the 8-2 Eagles are coming off wins versus Columbia and Fairfield. Asked after the game about the team's early success at home this year, senior guard Eli Cain credited the group's ability to "lock in".
"I think it's just, I guess you could say it's our ability to lock in at home," Cain said. "I don't think it really matters where we're [playing] though. I mean, obviously, the fans and the atmosphere changes a little bit but I think it's something we have to stand by throughout the season. You're always supposed to protect your home court and I think we're doing a pretty good job of that, and we've got to keep doing it through conference play."
Scoring Depth: On Wednesday night when DePaul beat Incarnate Word at Wintrust Arena, the Blue Demons recorded their third consecutive game where five players finished with double-digit points. Scoring output from the whole rotation has been a theme all year for the Blue Demons as seven different players are averaging at least 7.5 points per game. For Coach Leitao the three straight games with five in double figures is a good indication of an effective, multi-dimensional offense.
"Our balance is starting to get really good and [in addition to the five in double figures] JB [Jaylen Butz] had eight points," Coach Leitao said. "We talked about that from the start of the season and I think guys are becoming more comfortable. And when they get more comfortable and understand what their role is offensively for us to be good, then you combine it with some effervescence of how they move the ball and how they share the ball, those kind of things, then we have a chance to be pretty good."
For Eli Cain, the team's well-rounded scoring output speaks to the talent on the roster top to bottom.
"I think we do have a lot of depth," Cain said. "We have a lot more talent this year from top to bottom, a lot of guys that can do various things on the offensive end, so I just think that [three straight games with five in double figures] is a byproduct of the talent and ability we have on this team."
Ready For a Larger Role: With the unfortunate news that junior Jalen Coleman-Lands is sidelined with a broken left hand, guards Lyrik Shreiner and Flynn Cameron will be called upon for increased minutes in Coleman-Lands' absence. For Schreiner, the Phoenix native landed at DePaul after playing at TCU in 2015-16 and Cal State Northridge in 2017-18. For Cameron, the 6'3" freshman guard comes to DePaul after representing New Zealand at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship. Asked about what Blue Demon fans can look forward to from Shreiner, who was the first guard off the bench in the Incarnate Word game, senior Max Strus highlighted the junior's coachability and defense.
"He's just going to come in and try to do the right thing," Strus said. "Do what coach asks him to do, play defense, lock down the other team's best player, make plays for other people on offense. Just step in and do what we need him to do."
Players Mentioned
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