DePaul Hosts Connecticut on Blue Demon Day

CHICAGO – DePaul hosts No. 20/19 Connecticut on Saturday evening as the Blue Demons return to Wintrust Arena for the first time since Jan. 19. The Blue Demons dropped road games at Creighton and Villanova and return to the road next Saturday at Xavier. The matchup is the first of two this season with DePaul making the return trip to Storrs for the final game of the regular season on March 5.

Saturday's game can be seen on FS1 starting at 5:30 p.m. with Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Brian Butch (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 Dave Corzine (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.

Connecticut - ranked No. 20 in this week's AP poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Top 25 - enters the game at 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the BIG EAST while DePaul is 10-9 overall and 1-8 in the BIG EAST.

Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul's 67-43 loss at No. 14/12 Villanova on Tuesday.

Villanova marks the fifth ranked opponent for the Blue Demons since Jan. 1… DePaul is 1-4 this season against ranked opponents… the Blue Demons also play No. 20/19 Connecticut on Saturday.
DePaul's 43 points are the fewest points in a game since a 60-42 loss at Butler on Feb. 29, 2020.
Yor Anei's third blocked shot of the game was No. 200 in his career… Anei blocked multiple shots in game for the ninth time this season.
Javan Johnson's 11 first-half points marked his first game in double figures this season (33rd career)... his 16 points are a season high.
Nick Ongenda moved into 24th on the programs' season blocked shots list… he passed Terry Cummings 36 blocked shots during the 1981-82 season.
Jalen Terry scored in double figures for the third time in the last four games.
Tuesday was the 40th all-time meeting between the two programs... the Wildcats lead the series, 32-8.

It Could Happen: Yor Anei (32 blocked shots this season) needs two blocked shots to move into a tie with three others for 26th on the program's season blocked shots list... Brandon Johnson is playing in his 140th career game (92 at Western Michigan/28 at Minnesota/19 at DePaul)... Nick Ongenda (85 blocked shots) needs three blocked shots to move from 13th to 11th on DePaul's career blocked shots list... Wilson Chandler (2005-07) is 12th with 86 blocked shots and Lemone Lampley is 11th with 87 career blocks... three blocked shots would also move him from 24th into a tie for 20th on the season blocked shots list... Ongenda has 37 rejections this season.

The Opponent – Connecticut Huskies: Connecticut is 14-4 overall this season and 5-2 in BIG EAST play... the Huskies have won four straight and are ranked No. 20 in this week's AP poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Top 25... Adama Sanogo leads the team with 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game... R.J. Cole adds 15.6 points per game and Tyrese Martin holds a scoring average of 14.1... head coach Dan Hurley is in his fourth season leading the Huskies.

The Series: Saturday is the 15th all-time meeting between the two programs... Connecticut holds a 13-1 lead in the series with 12 straight wins... the Huskies claimed all three games last season including a 94-60 decision in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament... DePaul is 1-4 all-time in home games against Connecticut... three of the 14 all-time games have occurred at the BIG EAST Tournament.

Up Next: The Blue Demons face the Musketeers in Cincinnati.

DePaul travels to Xavier on Saturday, Feb. 5... start time is 2 p.m. ET at Cintas Center... the game can be seen on FS1 and heard on WSCR (670 AM).
Xavier - ranked No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the Coaches Top 25 - is 14-4 overall and 4-4 in the BIG EAST... the Musketeers play at Creighton on Jan. 29 and host Butler on Feb. 2 before the Blue Demons visit Cincinnati.
The Musketeers lead the all-time series, 17-11... Xavier won the first meeting, 68-67, on Jan. 19 at Wintrust Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Yor Anei

Brandon Johnson

Javan Johnson

Nick Ongenda

Jalen Terry