DePaul Basketball Loses To Xavier: 3 Takeaways

DePaul basketball suffered another defeat to the Xavier Musketeers, a Big East Conference opponent. The final score was 77-63.

The Blue Demons were led by C.J. Gunn, he scored 16 points and a career-high 7 rebounds.

He shot 6-11 (54.5%) from the field and 3-7 (42.9%) from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile for Xavier, they were again led by Zach Freemantle who recorded a double-double coming off the bench, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He shot 8-15 (53.3%) overall and 2-2 (100%) from long distance.

Here are the key takeaways from the loss.

Takeaway #1: Xavier was dominant in the glass

Both DePaul basketball and the Musketeers are great at rebounding, however, the road team was the one dominating in the glass on Saturday.

Xavier outrebounded the Blue Demons both offensively (7-5) and defensively (29-23). This helped to contribute the Musketeers outscoring DePaul basketball in the paint by a score of 34-22.

This continues a trend of the Blue Demons being outscored in the paint.

Gunn led the team in the glass with 7 rebounds (5 defensive rebounds), and was followed by N.J. Benson who had 5 rebounds of his own.

For the Musketeers, Freemantle led with 10 rebounds, with 9 rebounds on the defensive end. He was accompanied by Jerome Hunter who had 6 rebounds.

Takeaway #2: What is going on with David Skogman

Against Xavier, Skogman scored 0 points while shooting 0-5 from the field and 0-4 from downtown. He had previously missed several games with a lower leg injury before returning against Seton Hall. The last time he had a solid performance was in the loss to Northwestern where he recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

That game was also the last time he started before his injury.

He was, at one point, one of DePaul basketball’s best perimeter shooters. Against the likes of Southern Indiana, Providence, and Northwestern, he was shooting upwards of 50% from long range. Yet in these last two games he’s been back, he’s shot 0%.

It is unclear what is causing this slump. Maybe it’s due to him not being able to practice for over a week due to his injury or he’s just out of rhythm and needs more time in the lab to work on his shot.

Either way, when he shoots well, the team performs well from beyond the three-point line, so hopefully he gets out of this slump sooner than later.

Takeaway #3: Conor Enright’s injury status

Enright has been one of, if not the best transfer for DePaul basketball. Since his arrival he’s been a great playmaker, a pest on defense, and occasionally a great scorer.

Against Villanova, Enright injured his right shoulder and exited the game midway through. He played the full game against Seton Hall and today, he had a shoulder brace on his right shoulder.

Head coach Chris Holtmann confirmed that Enright dislocated his shoulder and he is going to have to wear it until the offseason.

For the most part, that brace hasn’t interfered in Enright’s playstyle. Nor has it impacted how DePaul basketball performs in terms of passing the ball. Currently, the team averages 17.3 assists, which is second in the conference. Enright for his part averages 6.7 assists, which is tied with UConn’s Hassan Diarra for most in the Big East.

For the team’s sake, their playmaker must remain healthy for the rest of the season. Without him, it is unclear as to who is the next best playmaker.

Next up for DePaul (9-8, 0-6): vs. Marquette (14-2, 5-0) – Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST)

Next up for Xavier (10-7, 2-4): vs. Villanova (11-6, 4-2) – Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. CST (6:30 p.m. EST)