LAS VEGAS – After winning three of their last four games, the DePaul men’s basketball team is set for its first postseason appearance in five years as the Blue Demons participate in the inaugural College Basketball Crown. DePaul is set to take on Cincinnati, Tuesday, April 1 in a 2 p.m. CT matchup at MGM […]
LAS VEGAS – After winning three of their last four games, the DePaul men’s basketball team is set for its first postseason appearance in five years as the Blue Demons participate in the inaugural College Basketball Crown. DePaul is set to take on Cincinnati, Tuesday, April 1 in a 2 p.m. CT matchup at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will advance to play the winner of UCF/Oregon State on Thursday, April 3 at 6 pm. CT.
BLUE DEMONS IN THE POSTSEASON
DePaul’s last postseason appearance was in the 2019 College Basketball Invitational (CBI), where the Blue Demons reached the finals. Prior to that, DePaul last appeared in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in 2007. Chris Holtmann becomes the first DePaul coach to reach the postseason in his first season at the helm since 2002-03 and is 7-8 all-time in postseason tournaments.
SCOUTING DEPAUL
DePaul (14-19) finished its season strong with wins against Providence and Georgetown, before picking up another win against the Hoyas in the BIG EAST Tournament.
The Blue Demons pushed second-seeded Creighton to double overtime in the BET Quarterfinals, led by a career-high 25 points from Layden Blocker. In the team’s last four games, DePaul is shooting 51.3 percent as a team and 41.9 percent from three while averaging 78.8 points.
The Blue Demons have 309 three-pointers on the season, already a school record, and rank fourth in program history single-season assists with 518.
THE SERIES
The game marks a renewal of former conference foes, as DePaul and Cincinnati previously competed in the BIG EAST and Conference USA together. It will be the first meeting between the programs since 2013, while DePaul will look for its first win against the Bearcats since 2009.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
Cincinnati (18-15) enters the Crown following a second round loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. The Bearcats have lost four of their last five contests, but posted an overall 7-13 record in conference action. The team is led by Wes Miller, who is in his fourth season at Cincinnati, and has led the program to an 81-58 record during his tenure.
As a team, the Bearcats have held opponents to 65.7 points per game this season, ranking 26th nationally, while also committing 13.9 fouls per game which led the Big 12. Jizzle James is the team’s leading scorer with 12.8 points per game, while also averaging 3.6 assists per contest.
