Men's Basketball Set for First Exhibition Against Loyola Chicago

CHICAGO — DePaul men's basketball opens its exhibition slate ahead of the 2026-27 season Sunday afternoon at crosstown foe Loyola Chicago. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Gentile Arena.

The game will not be televised or streamed; fans unable to attend can follow along on Radio DePaul, the university's student radio station.

DePaul enters its third season under head coach Chris Holtmann, who has led one of the nation's top turnarounds in his first two seasons, including a program-best finish in the BIG EAST last season. In 2025-26, DePaul tallied its second-most BIG EAST wins in program history and finished 16-16. The Blue Demons return seven players from last season's roster and welcome nine newcomers, including six transfers.

Layden Blocker begins his third season in a DePaul uniform after earning preseason All-BIG EAST honors earlier this month. Blocker finished in the top 10 in the BIG EAST in both assists and steals last season and averaged 11.1 points, making him the Blue Demons' leading returning scorer. Over his two seasons at DePaul, he has averaged 10.2 points and 3.3 assists. He is joined by fellow returners Nate Kasher, Jonas Johnson, Amsal Delalić, Kruz McClure, Fabián Flores and Théo Pierre-Justin. McClure and Flores each appeared in 28 games in their debut collegiate seasons, while Pierre-Justin made 22 starts and shot a team-best 39.7 percent from three-point range.

DePaul's newcomers are headlined by San Diego State transfer Magoon Gwath, the 2025 Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, who has totaled 105 blocks through two collegiate seasons. Other incoming transfers include Ade Popoola (Tulsa), who led the American with a 40.9% 3-point percentage, Koree Cotton (UTRGV), Kahmare Holmes (Wofford), Noah Meeusen (Arizona State) and Wilson Jacques (Fresno State). The Blue Demons also added three freshmen: Andrew Jensen, Mason Lockett IV and Noah Smith.

Loyola Chicago, led by sixth-year head coach Drew Valentine, returns two players from last year's roster in Xavier Amos and Nic Anderson. The Ramblers added 12 transfers this offseason, including Donald Hand Jr. (Boston College), Ryan Agarwal (Stanford) and Eddie Ricks III (James Madison).
Sunday marks the second straight season the programs have met in an exhibition. DePaul won last year's meeting 92-90 in overtime at Wintrust Arena.

UP NEXT
DePaul will host Notre Dame as the program's final exhibition before opening the 2026-27 season. The matchup is set for Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. from Wintrust Arena. The Blue Demons open their regular season Monday, Nov. 2 against West Georgia.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Men's Basketball, please visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, following the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.

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.

Men's Basketball Set for First Exhibition Against Loyola Chicago

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Players Mentioned

Layden Blocker

Koree Cotton

Magoon Gwath

Kahmare Holmes

Wilson Jacques

Andrew Jensen

Jonas Johnson

Nate Kasher

Mason Lockett IV

Kruz McClure

Noah Meeusen

Ade Popoola

Noah Smith

DePaul University Athletics