DePaul University
South Carolina
Blue Demons Begin Action at Arizona Tipoff
11/16/2023 12:44:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
GLENDALE, ARIZ. – The DePaul men's basketball team travels west for the Arizona Tipoff, Nov. 17-19. The Blue Demons begin action Friday evening against South Carolina with a 10:30 p.m. CT tip on CBS Sports Network with Jack Benjamin and Matt McCall as the talent. Zach Zaidman and Dave Corzine will have DePaul's radio broadcast at DePaulBlueDemons.com
LAST TIME OUT
DePaul is coming off a Tuesday night victory against South Dakota, 72-60, where the Blue Demons held USD to 32.2 percent shooting including 23.5 percent from three. As a team, DePaul had eight different scorers led by 16 points from Jeremiah Oden. Caleb Murphy also had 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
SCOUTING DEPAUL
DePaul (1-2) looks to piece together back-to-back wins after Tuesday's victory. The Blue Demons have seen a spark in all three games this season from its bench, despite changes in the starting lineup. Elijah Fisher averaged 16.0 points on 65 percent shooting off the bench in the first two games before entering the starting lineup. Against South Dakota, Jaden Henley and K.T. Raimey boosted the Blue Demons with strong performances. Henley registered six assists with zero turnovers, while Raimey recorded his third-consecutive double-digit scoring game this season.
Churchill Abass has also continued to show tremendous growth through the first three games of the season. Against the Coyotes, Abass registered eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks. The freshman currently ranks 18th nationally in total blocks and is second among true freshmen.
THE SERIES
The all-time series between the two programs is tied at 4-4 Each program is undefeated at home against each other (3-0) and 1-1 in neutral sites. DePaul and South Carolina last met in 2015 but have only met twice in the last 25 years.
The two programs have not played in the continental United States since 1984.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina enters the Arizona Tipoff undefeated, with a 3-0 record. The Gamecocks rank 14th nationally with a 43.9 percent three-point field goal percentage. South Carolina has four transfers on its roster and are led by second-year Gamecock head coach, Lamont Paris, who is 14-21 in Columbia.
Ta'lon Cooper ranks second in the nation in assist to turnover ratio, with 17 assist to turnover ratio, with 17 assists this season and just one turnover.
UP NEXT
DePaul will stay in Arizona for its second game of the tournament, taking on either Grand Canyon or San Francisco on Sunday evening.
