DePaul University Athletics
Layden Blocker Earns Preseason All-Conference Accolades
10/1/2026 7:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Blocker returns for senior season after being top-10 in league assists
NEW YORK – After finishing top-10 in the BIG EAST in both assists and steals last season, DePaul guard Layden Blocker was announced Thursday morning as a part of the Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team. Blocker is DePaul's leading returning scorer from 2025-26 where he averaged 11.1 points in addition to 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
The Little Rock, Ark. native is poised for his third season in Chicago, where he has been instrumental in the turnaround of the Blue Demons program under head coach Chris Holtmann. In 2025-26, the Blue Demons earned a sixth-place finish the BIG EAST regular season, the highest in program history. In two seasons at DePaul, Blocker has averaged 10.2 points and 3.3 assists per game, while shooting 32.7 percentg from three and 81.0 percent at the free throw line. He totaled 20 games last season of double-digit scoring and 21 with three or more assists.
Additionally, DePaul was selected eighth in the head coaches Preseason Poll. It marks the Blue Demons' highest preseason poll since 2015-16. Under Holtmann, DePaul has finished above its preseason selection in back-to-back seasons.
2026-27 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. UConn (8) 98
2. St. John's (2) 90
3. Villanova 81
4. Marquette (1) 73
5. Providence 59
6. Xavier 54
7. Creighton 47
8. DePaul 32
9. Seton Hall 31
10. Georgetown 27
11. Butler 13
First place votes in parantheses
2026-27 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Preseason Honors
Preseason Player of the Year: Silas Demary Jr., UConn
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Colben Landrew, UConn
Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Braylon Mullins, UConn
Nigel James Jr., Marquette
Ian Jackson, St. John's
Tounde Yessoufou, St. John's
Tyler Perkins, Villanova
Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Na'jai Hines, UConn
Royce Parham, Marquette
Miles Byrd, Providence
Kwame Evans Jr., Villanova
Devin Royal, Villanova
Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team
Oswin Erhunmwunse, Creighton
Jackson McAndrew, Creighton
Layden Blocker, DePaul
Sananda Fru, Marquette
Jovan Milicevic, Xavier
Mike Nwoko, Xavier
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TICKET INFORMATION
Join Blue Demon Nation for BIG EAST hoops at Wintrust Arena! Full season tickets for the 2026-27 season are on sale now, starting at just $275 per seat for men's basketball. Full season tickets include the same seat for every home game, plus special discounts for DePaul faculty, staff, retirees and recent graduates. Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets to lock in your seats today.
