This Friday, DePaul basketball faces a familiar, and nationally recognized foe in the Duquesne Dukes.
The Blue Demons continue their seven-game homestand and face off against an opponent that shocked the world in March Madness last year.
On Friday, Nov. 15, DePaul will be facing off against the Duquesne Dukes at 8 p.m. CST, looking to go 4-0 for the first time since the 2021-2022 season. The team is coming off of a 95-64 victory over the Mercer Bears. Meanwhile, the Dukes are traveling to the Wintrust Arena after two-straight losses to the Princeton Tigers (68-75) and the Lipscomb Bisons (72-77).
This will be the third time in four years that these two teams will face each other. The first time, the battle went to the Blue Demons in the 2021-2022 season, winning that matchup 87-67 at home. Their next game saw DePaul lose on the road in Pittsburgh 55-66.
General Information
Teams:Â DePaul (3-0) and Duquesne (0-2)
Tip-Off: 8 p.m. CST (9 p.m. EST)
Where to Watch:Â FS2
Tune In:Â Radio DePaul Sports & Entertainment (RDSE)
What to know about Duquesne
This season hasn’t gone the way the Dukes wanted it to, losing two straight games to Lipscomb and Princeton. As it stands, the team is the only one in the A-10 Conference to not have a win to start the season.
On the offensive end, the team has trouble scoring the ball, averaging the second worst in scoring for their conference (70.0 PTS). Shooting from the field isn’t much better for the team, averaging 43.3% from the field, which is third worst in the A-10, also shooting a conference worst 59.5% from the charity strike. One good part they have going for them is their three-point percentage (32.6%) which is eighth in the conference.
For Duquesne, their defense is their biggest flaw, averaging the most points per game allowed (76), opposing field goal percentage (47.5%), and opposing three-point percentage (44.4%).
For both of their losses, their leading scorer had 14 point. Against Lipscomb it was junior guard Maximus Edwards who also had eight rebounds, two steals, and six turnovers against the Bisons. He averages eight points, eight rebounds, and one steal per game. This is his first season with the team after transferring from the George Washington Revolutionaries.
Against the Tigers, the leading scorer was junior guard Kareem Rozier, who scored 14 points, four assists, and three rebounds. He currently averages 10 points, and three assists while shooting 42.9% from the three in his third year with the program.
When they faced Princeton, the Dukes got outscored in fast break opportunities by a score of 19-4, DePaul meanwhile outscored Mercer in the fast break 17-6.
What to know about DePaul
DePaul basketball comes off a 95-64 victory against the Mercer Bears, coincidentally on head coach Chris Holtmann’s 53rd birthday.
Junior forward N.J. Benson lead the team in scoring with 15 points and four rebounds against the Bears. He currently averages 10.3 points and four rebounds on the season. He was also complimented by junior guard C.J. Gunn, who scored 13 points, two rebounds, and two steals in his debut.
Another pair of key players were junior guard Connor Enright and sophomore guard Jacob Meyer. For Enright’s part, he scored three points and was distributing the ball like John Stockton, with eight assists, and a few wild passes that lead to baskets from his teammates. Enright averages five points, 2.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. The latter stat is a career high for him and also 37th in the nation.
Meyer contributed off the bench with 12 points and three assists while shooting 4-8 (50%) from the field. This is despite struggling from the three, going 0-3 (0%) in that regard. He averages 16 points, 3.3 rebounds, and two assists on the season.
DePaul basketball has had a great start to the season, being one of seven teams in the Big East conference to be 3-0, along the likes of the UConn Huskies, Creighton Bluejays, and St. John’s Red Storm.
DePaul basketball continues to excite its fans and intrigue the nation, will they continue this run? Or will they face their match? Only time will tell.