DePaul Hosts UIC in Saturday Matinee

CHICAGO - The Blue Demons host UIC at Wintrust Arena for a Saturday matinee. DePaul looks to bounce back off its first loss of the season last Sunday for its 10th win to open the 2019-20 season. Start time at Wintrust Arena is set for 1 p.m. in the first half of a DePaul doubleheader with the women's team hosting Alabama State at 3:30 p.m. The two DePaul basketball programs have combined for an impressive 17-2 record this season.

Saturday's game can be seen on FS1 with Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) handling the broadcast duties. The game can be seen online through the FOX Sports app and website. DePaul's radio tandem of Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Jeff Blanzy (analyst) can be heard on WSCR (670 AM) and online on DePaul All-Access at depaulbluedemons.com/live. In-game updates can be followed on Twitter at @DePaulHoops and live stats are available at depaulbluedemons.com.

UIC is 4-6 overall this season following a 62-49 win against Purdue Fort Wayne last Saturday. DePaul stands at 9-1 and is receiving votes in the national polls. The Blue Demons dropped a 74-69 game to Buffalo last Sunday at Wintrust Arena.

Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul's 74-69 loss against Buffalo on Dec. 8.

Prior to the game, DePaul was one of nine undefeated teams left in the nation.
DePaul blocked at least five shots for the ninth time in 10 games this season… the 11 blocked shots are the most since 10 blocks against Milwaukee on Dec. 7, 2014.
Jaylen Butz scored in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games.
Jalen Coleman-Lands made at least three three-pointers for the 36th time in his career (sixth at DePaul)… he has 16 three's in the last three games.
Paul Reed notched his seventh double-double of the season… his 18 rebounds are a career high... Reed became the 10th player in program history with 100 career blocked shots with his first rejection… he is ranked ninth with 104 career blocks.
Sunday was the first meeting between the programs... the Blue Demons are 84-37 all-time against the current lineup of Mid-American Conference programs.

Trendy: The Blue Demons have blocked at least seven shots in five of the last seven games... the team has at least five blocks in nine of 10 games... over the three previous seasons (2017-19 - 99 games), the team blocked at least seven shots in three total games... in that same period, DePaul blocked at least five shots in a game a total of 23 times... Jaylen Butz is averaging 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last five games... Jalen Coleman-Lands is 16-for-37 (.432) from behind the arc in the last four games... he's averaging 16.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in that span... Paul Reed's seven double-doubles lead the BIG EAST and is tied for third nationally entering Friday's schedule... three players have not missed a shot this season with at least six attempts... Butz went 7-for-7 against Chicago, Reed went 6-of-6 against Alcorn State and Devin Gage went 6-for-6 at Iowa... prior to this season, at least six attempts without a miss occurred just 11 times in program history... Butz is the only player in program history with three games of five or more attempts without a miss.

It Could Happen: A win would be the 10th of the season... the last time DePaul won 10 games before Jan. 1 was the 1999-00 season... that team posted its 10th win on Dec. 30... Jalen Coleman-Lands need four three-pointers for 200 in his career (158 at Illinois/38 at DePaul)... with 10 points, Charlie Moore records his 30th career game in double figures (22 at California/1 at Kansas/6 at DePaul)... Paul Reed need a point for 700 career and a rebound for 500 career... Reed is playing in his 75th career game on Saturday... with two blocked shots, Reed passes Walter Downing (1981-83, 105 blocks) for eight on the all-time list.

Noting the Blue Demons: The men's basketball program is 1,476-1,025 (.590) all-time... the Blue Demons have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 816 straight games... DePaul's last game without a three was over 25 years ago on Feb. 16, 1993 against UAB at Allstate Arena... the current streak started against Notre Dame on Feb. 21, 1993... DePaul's eight games from Nov. 5-29 were the most in program history for the month of November... the Blue Demons played seven games in November 2012 and six each in November 2013 and 2006... over the last nine seasons (since start of 2010-11 season), DePaul is 19-6 against Chicagoland opponents (Chicago State, UIC, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Northwestern)... in the last 19 seasons (since the start of 2000-01 season), the record against locals is 33-12... the Blue Demons face UIC (Dec. 14) and Northwestern (Dec. 21) this season.

Among NCAA and BIG EAST Leaders: Entering this weekend's action, DePaul's Charlie Moore and Paul Reed are ranked among the top 30 nationally in a variety of statistical categories.

Moore is ninth in total assists and ranked 11th in assists per game. Reed is tied for third in double-doubles, tied for fourth in total blocked shots, ranked sixth in blocked shots per game, 14th in defensive rebounds per game, tied for 14th in total rebounds and ranked 15th in rebounds per game.

In the BIG EAST statistical rankings, a DePaul player leads in six categories. Butz leads the league in field goal percentage while Moore is first in assists per game. Reed is first in rebounds per game, blocked shots per game and defensive rebounds per game while Romeo Weems is tied for first in three-point field goal percentage. Only DePaul and Villanova feature four players among the top 30 in points per game.

The Opponent - UIC Flames: UIC is 4-6 overall this season... the Flames have won their last two games including a 62-49 decision over Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday... Tarkus Ferguson leads the team with 14.4 points per game in seven games... Godwin Boahen adds 11.3 points per game with team highs of 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game... Michael Diggins averages 11.1 points per contest... head coach Steve McClain is in his fifth season at UIC... DePaul head coach Dave Leitao is 4-1 all-time against the Flames.

The Series: Saturday is the 11th meeting between the two programs... DePaul holds an 8-2 advantage... the Blue Demons have won six of the last seven games between the schools... a year ago, DePaul posted a 90-70 win at Wintrust Arena... UIC's last win was an 80-75 decision at McGrath-Phillips Arena in December 2016.

Against the Horizon League: DePaul is 63-14 against the current membership of the Horizon League... Detroit Mercy is the most common opponent with the Blue Demons holding a 29-7 lead in that series... the Blue Demons haven't faced Northern Kentucky or Oakland.

Up Next - Dec. 18 at Cleveland State: The Blue Demons travel to Cleveland for final road game of non-conference schedule.

The game will be televised on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. ET... radio coverage will be on WIND (560 AM).
Cleveland State holds a 4-6 record... the Vikings play at Bowling Green on Sunday before hosting the Blue Demons.
Cleveland State posted a 10-21 record a season ago and went 5-13 in the Horizon League.
Third all-time meeting between the programs... DePaul evened the series last season with an 83-73 win at Wintrust Arena... Cleveland State won the first meeting between the two sides during the 1985-86 season... the Vikings recorded a 90-75 victory on Jan. 15, 1986 at the Rosemont Horizon.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Butz

Jalen Coleman-Lands

Devin Gage

Charlie Moore

Paul Reed

Romeo Weems