DePaul basketball got their first Big East Tournament Win Since 2023 in a 71-67 win over Georgetown.
The DePaul Blue Demons beat Georgetown in the opening round of the Big East Tournament to complete the sweep of their season series. This is the first time the Blue Demons have gotten two or more wins against a conference opponent in one season since 2021-22, also against Georgetown.
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE. #BlueGrit 🔵😈 | @RushMedical pic.twitter.com/gOgsR9n8F5
— DePaul Basketball (@DePaulHoops) March 13, 2025
The big performance of this tournament win came from junior forward NJ Benson. Benson missed the last month due to a hand injury and made his return to action on the biggest stage. In a limited 18 minutes, NJ Benson finished with 18 points on 7 for 8 shooting and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Win by win…
The rebuild is underway and already seeing results in just year one of the Chris Holtmann era. DePaul basketball is currently 14-18 with a 4-16 regular season conference record. That’s more than the total number of overall wins they had in the past two seasons combined and more than the total amount of conference wins in the same period of time.
The Blue Demons finished last year ranked #304 on KenPom and without a single conference win. Now they’re ranked #123 on Kenpom and have 5 conference wins this season. It will take time to reach the heights that Chris Holtmann envisions for this program, but this is great progress considering where the Blue Demons found themselves just one year ago.
Changing the culture
It was no secret that Holtmann’s decision to coach at DePaul was a big undertaking and to some this rebuild would be impossible, but not for Chris Holtmann. The first step was to forget about the past and start with a clean slate as he recruited an entirely new roster for DePaul basketball. Holtmann didn’t just target any players though, he found a group of guys that are excited to represent the university.
He had the following to say about NJ Benson’s return from injury, “In an era right now where kids sometimes don’t always play when they don’t feel full strength, it is really refreshing to have a guy that was begging to play the last two weeks. We had to hold him back because it wasn’t in his best interest. To be able to coach a kid that was dying to play even when he wasn’t at full strength, it reminds me just that that resembles a good player and a guy who wants to keep getting better.”
Coaches around the country would kill to have a player with the mindset of Benson on their team.
What’s next for DePaul basketball
The Blue Demons advance to the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament where they will face off with the #2 seed Creighton. DePaul lost both meetings during the regular season but were fairly competitive on the road losing 75-65 in Omaha.
Chris Holtmann said the following about facing Creighton, “They have a terrific team. For us we’re grateful for an opportunity to come out and compete, and we can’t wait to get out there and play again and wear the DePaul uniform.”
So what’s next for DePaul? Beyond just their matchup with Creighton, Holtmann will continue to build the culture and program by instilling pride in his players to represent this university. Win or lose in the quarterfinal, DePaul basketball has surely won this season and looks forward to continue growing in the 2025-26 season.
Credit to Chris Holtmann. To lose Conor Enright and David Skogman and win three in a row to now advance to the Big East Tournament quarterfinals makes his first season a success. NJ Benson worked hard to return from injury tonight. He changed the game – 18 points on 7/8 FG.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 13, 2025