Wednesday, January 19
Chicago, Ill.
8:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Xavier
Men's Basketball Hosts No. 20 Xavier on Wednesday Night
1/18/2022 3:50:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Blue Demons aim for second straight win over a ranked opponent
CHICAGO – DePaul faces its second straight ranked opponent as No. 20/20 Xavier visits Wintrust Arena on Wednesday night. The Blue Demons knocked off No. 20/18 Seton Hall last Thursday by a score of 96-92. DePaul and Xavier meet for the first time since March 2020 as last season's planned games were not able to be played due to COVID-19 protocols.
Wednesday's game can be seen on FS1 starting at 8 p.m. with Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) handling the broadcast duties. The game can also be seen online at foxsports.com/live. DePaul's radio tandem of Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Jeff Blanzy (analyst) can be heard on WIND (560 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.
Xavier - ranked No. 20 in both the AP poll and Coaches Top 25 - enters the game at 13-3 overall and 3-2 in the BIG EAST while DePaul is 10-6 overall and 1-5 in the BIG EAST.
Against Ranked Opponents: DePaul is 1-2 against ranked opponents this season... the Blue Demons defeated No. 20/18 Seton Hall, 96-92, on Jan. 13... Xavier marks DePaul's fourth ranked opponent in six games since Jan. 1... the last time the Blue Demons won back-to-back games against a ranked opponent was in the 2004-05 season... DePaul defeated No. 25 Marquette, 85-72, on Jan. 20 and No. 21 Cincinnati, 85-66, on Feb. 12 of that season.
Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul's 96-92 win against No. 20/18 Seton Hall on Thursday:
The Opponent – Xavier Musketeers: Xavier is 13-3 overall and 3-2 in BIG EAST play... the Musketeers are ranked No. 20 in both the AP and Coaches polls this week... Xavier has split its last four games with both losses against Villanova and wins over Butler and Creighton... Nate Johnson leads the team with 12.3 points per game and 42 three-pointers... others averaging in double figures include Jack Nunge (11.9 ppg), Colby Jones (11.2 ppg) and Paul Scruggs (11.2 ppg)... Jones grabs a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game while Scruggs leads the club with 66 assists... head coach Travis Steele is in his fourth season leading the Musketeers.
The Series: Wednesday is the 28th meeting between the two programs and first since March 2020... both scheduled games last season were not able to be played due to COVID-19 protocols... DePaul won the last meeting, 71-67, on March 11, 2020 in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament... the 2019-20 college basketball season ended the following day... Xavier leads the series, 16-11, with each side winning twice in the last four meetings.
Up Next: DePaul goes on the road to Creighton this weekend.
Wednesday's game can be seen on FS1 starting at 8 p.m. with Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) handling the broadcast duties. The game can also be seen online at foxsports.com/live. DePaul's radio tandem of Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Jeff Blanzy (analyst) can be heard on WIND (560 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.
Xavier - ranked No. 20 in both the AP poll and Coaches Top 25 - enters the game at 13-3 overall and 3-2 in the BIG EAST while DePaul is 10-6 overall and 1-5 in the BIG EAST.
Against Ranked Opponents: DePaul is 1-2 against ranked opponents this season... the Blue Demons defeated No. 20/18 Seton Hall, 96-92, on Jan. 13... Xavier marks DePaul's fourth ranked opponent in six games since Jan. 1... the last time the Blue Demons won back-to-back games against a ranked opponent was in the 2004-05 season... DePaul defeated No. 25 Marquette, 85-72, on Jan. 20 and No. 21 Cincinnati, 85-66, on Feb. 12 of that season.
Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul's 96-92 win against No. 20/18 Seton Hall on Thursday:
- The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for DePaul against ranked opponents... prior to the win over No. 20/18 Seton Hall, DePaul defeated No. 5/5 Butler, 79-66, on Jan. 18, 2020.
- DePaul posted a 50-point half for the fifth time this season... the 52 points are the highest since the Blue Demons scored 53 in the first half against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 28.
- The 96 points are the most for DePaul in a BIG EAST game since a 101-69 win over Georgetown at Wintrust Arena on March 6, 2019.
- Yor Anei played in his 90th career game... in the last two games as a starter, he is averaging 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game... 27th career game in double figures (third season).
- Javan Johnson played in his 90th career game.
- David Jones' 24 points marked his fourth game this season (fourth career) with at least 20 points... added career-high five steals.
- Jalen Terry set new career highs with 28 points, seven field goals, 14 field goal attempts, 11 free throws and 13 free throw attempts... first career 20-point game... fourth career game in double figures (second season).
- DePaul's 36 free throws and 45 free throw attempts set a Wintrust Arena record.
- Thursday was the 29th all-time meeting between the two programs... the Pirates hold a 20-9 advantage in the series... the win snapped a four-game skid in the series for the Blue Demons.
The Opponent – Xavier Musketeers: Xavier is 13-3 overall and 3-2 in BIG EAST play... the Musketeers are ranked No. 20 in both the AP and Coaches polls this week... Xavier has split its last four games with both losses against Villanova and wins over Butler and Creighton... Nate Johnson leads the team with 12.3 points per game and 42 three-pointers... others averaging in double figures include Jack Nunge (11.9 ppg), Colby Jones (11.2 ppg) and Paul Scruggs (11.2 ppg)... Jones grabs a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game while Scruggs leads the club with 66 assists... head coach Travis Steele is in his fourth season leading the Musketeers.
The Series: Wednesday is the 28th meeting between the two programs and first since March 2020... both scheduled games last season were not able to be played due to COVID-19 protocols... DePaul won the last meeting, 71-67, on March 11, 2020 in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament... the 2019-20 college basketball season ended the following day... Xavier leads the series, 16-11, with each side winning twice in the last four meetings.
Up Next: DePaul goes on the road to Creighton this weekend.
- DePaul travels to Creighton on Saturday, Jan. 22... start time is 4:30 p.m. at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb... the game can be seen on CBS Sports Network and heard on WIND (560 AM).
- Creighton is 10-5 overall and 2-2 in the BIG EAST... the Bluejays host St. John's on Wednesday before the Blue Demons visit this weekend.
- The Bluejays lead the all-time series, 24-16, with 14 straight wins... last season saw a 69-62 decision in Chicago on Jan. 30 and a 77-53 score in Omaha on Feb. 24.
Players Mentioned
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