2020–21 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team

The 2020–21 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team represented DePaul University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by sixth-year (ninth overall with DePaul) head coach Dave Leitao and played their home games at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois as members of the Big East Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Demons finished the season 5–14, 2–13 in Big East play to finish in last place. They defeated Providence in the first round of the Big East tournament before losing to UConn in the quarterfinals.

2020–21 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record5–14 (2–13 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Tim Anderson (4th season)
  • Shane Heirman (4th season)
  • Marc Hsu (2nd season)
Home arenaWintrust Arena
Seasons
2020–21 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 18 Villanova114 .733187 .720
No. 19 Creighton146 .700229 .710
UConn116 .647158 .652
St. John's109 .5261611 .593
Seton Hall109 .5261413 .519
Providence910 .4741313 .500
Xavier67 .462138 .619
Georgetown79 .4381313 .500
Marquette811 .4211314 .481
Butler812 .4001015 .400
DePaul213 .133514 .263
2021 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

After finishing in last place in the Big East for a fifth consecutive year, the school fired head coach Leitao on March 15, 2021.[1] On April 1, the school named longtime Oregon assistant Tony Stubblefield the team's new head coach.[2]

Previous season

The Blue Demons finished the 2019–20 season 16–16, 3–15 in Big East play to finish in last place. They defeated Xavier in the first round of the Big East tournament[3] before the remaining tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Offseason

Departures

DePaul Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Flynn Cameron21G6'3"198JuniorAuckland, New ZealandTransferred to UC Riverside
Jalen Coleman-Lands5G6'4"185SeniorIndianapolis, INTransferred to Iowa State
Devin Gage3G6'2"205JuniorChicago, ILTransferred to Fresno State
Paul Reed4F6'9"220JuniorOrlando, FLDeclared for 2020 NBA draft; selected 58th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers[5]
Lyrik Shreiner10G6'3"195SeniorPhoenix, AZGraduated
D. J. Williams32F6'7"215SeniorChicago, ILGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Javon Freeman-Liberty4G6'4180JuniorChicago, ILValparaiso
Courvoisier McCauley23G6'5180JuniorIndianapolis, INLincoln Memorial
Pauly Paulicap33F6'8225SeniorElmont, NYManhattan
Ray Salnave10G6'3205SeniorElmont, NYMonmouth

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Kobe Elvis
PG
Brampton, ONBill Crothers Secondary School6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg)Nov 24, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Keon Edwards
SF
Pasadena, TXHillcrest Prep6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)185 lb (84 kg)Jan 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN grade: 4
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  • "2020 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.

Roster

2020–21 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G0Markese Jacobs5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)185 lb (84 kg)SoUplift CommunityChicago, IL
F1Romeo Weems6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg)SoNew HavenDetroit, MI
G3Kobe Elvis6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg)FrBill Crothers Secondary SchoolBrampton, ON
G4Javon Freeman-Liberty6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)JrWhitney Young (Valparaiso)Chicago, IL
F5Keon Edwards6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)185 lb (84 kg)FrHillcrest Prep (AZ)Pasadena, TX
G10Ray Salnave6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)205 lb (93 kg)SrBenjamin Cardozo (Monmouth)Elmont, NY
G11Charlie Moore5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg)RS SrMorgan Park (Kansas/California)Chicago, IL
G12Jason Malonga (W)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg)SrBenet AcademyBolingbrook, IL
F13Darious Hall6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg)RS JrMills University Studies (Arkansas)Little Rock, AR
C14Nick Ongenda6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)210 lb (95 kg)SoSouthwest Christian Academy (AR)Mississauga, Ontario
G15Oscar Lopez Jr.6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg)SoHillcrest Prep Academy (AZ)Cypress, CA
G20Brendan Favre (W)6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)170 lb (77 kg)JrIMG Academy (FL)Vevey, Switzerland
G23Courvoisier McCauley6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)211 lb (96 kg)RS JrEmmerich Manual (Lincoln Memorial)Indianapolis, IN
G30Max Williams (W)6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg)FrIMG Academy (FL)Chicago, IL
F32David Jones6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)195 lb (88 kg)FrTeays Valley Christian (WV)Santo Domingo, DR
F33Pauly Paulicap6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg)SrElmont Memorial (Manhattan)Elmont, NY
G35Pantelis Xidias (W)5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)165 lb (75 kg)SrLa LumiereMichigan City, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2020-11-26

Schedule and results

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the start of the season was pushed back from the scheduled start of November 10.[6] On September 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that November 25 would be the new start date.[7] On November 19, the school announced that it was pausing all men's basketball activities due to positive COVID-19 test results and canceled the first three games of the season.[8][9] On January 2, 2021, the game against St. John's was postponed due to COVID-19 issues at St. John's.[10] On January 4, the January 5 game against Villanova was postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Villanova.[11]

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS2
Western IllinoisPostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to December 23rd.[9]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
November 28, 2020*
12:00 pm, FS2
Chicago StateCanceled due to COVID-19 issues[9]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 1, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS2
Alcorn StateCanceled due to COVID-19 issues[9]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 3, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS1
Northern IllinoisPostponed due to COVID-19 issues[9]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 6, 2020*
5:00 pm, ESPNU
at Iowa State
Big East/Big 12 Battle
Canceled due to COVID-19 issues[9]Hilton Coliseum 
Ames, IA
December 11, 2020
3:30 pm, CBSSN
at Seton HallPostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 17th.[12]Prudential Center 
Newark, NJ
December 14, 2020
6:00 pm, FS1
at VillanovaPostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 9th.[13]Finneran Pavilion 
Villanova, PA
December 17, 2020
6:00 pm, FS1
at ProvidencePostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to December 27th.[14]Alumni Hall 
Providence, RI
December 18, 2020
1:00 pm, FS1
XavierPostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 3, 2021.[15]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 21, 2020
4:30 pm, FS1
at ButlerPostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 6th.[16]Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 23, 2020
8:00 pm, FS1
UConnPostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to January 11, 2021.[17]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 23, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS1
Western IllinoisW 91–72 1–0
 22  Moore  8  Freeman-Liberty  6  Freeman-Liberty Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
December 27, 2020
3:30 pm, FS1
at ProvidenceL 90–95 2OT1–1
(0–1)
 21  Weems  8  Hall  8  Moore Alumni Hall (0)
Providence, RI
December 30, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at UConnL 61–82 1–2
(0–2)
 14  Hall  8  Tied  4  Moore Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (0)
Storrs, CT
January 2, 2021
11:00 am, FS1
at St. John'sPostponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 20, 2021.[18]Carnesecca Arena 
Queens, NY
January 5, 2021
6:00 pm, FS1
No. 3 VillanovaPostponed due to COVID-19 issues [19]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
January 9, 2021
1:00 pm, FS1
Seton HallL 68–76 1–3
(0–3)
 22  Freeman-Liberty  8  Weems  5  Moore Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
January 11, 2021
5:00 pm, FS1
No. 25 UConnL 53–60 1–4
(0–4)
 10  Hall  7  Tied  4  Elvis Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
January 13, 2021
6:00 pm, FS1
at GeorgetownPostponed due to COVID-19 issues [20]McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, D.C.
January 16, 2021*
3:00 pm, FS1
ValparaisoW 77–58 2–4
 20  Weems  10  Hall  5  Moore Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
January 19, 2021
7:00 pm, CBSSN
ButlerL 53–67 2–5
(0–5)
 12  Elvis  8  Paulicap  2  5 Tied Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
January 23, 2021
5:00 pm, FS1
at MarquetteW 68–61 3–5
(1–5)
 21  Moore  7  Hall  3  Tied Fiserv Forum (0)
Milwaukee, WI
January 27, 2021
8:00 pm, FS1
St. John'sL 68–81 3–6
(1–6)
 21  Moore  16  Paulicap  4  Moore Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
January 30, 2021
7:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 17 CreightonL 62–69 3–7
(1–7)
 21  Salnave  8  Freeman-Liberty  5  Freeman-Liberty Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
February 3, 2021
4:00 pm, FS1
XavierPostponed due to COVID-19 issues [21]Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
February 6, 2021
11:00 am, FS1
at ButlerL 58–68 3–8
(1–8)
 26  Freeman-Liberty  8  Freeman-Liberty  4  Salnave Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,715)
Indianapolis, IN
February 9, 2021
at No. 3 VillanovaPostponed due to COVID-19 issuesFinneran Pavilion 
Villanova, PA
February 11, 2021
2:30 pm, FS1
at XavierPostponed due to COVID-19 issues [22]Cintas Center 
Cincinnati, OH
February 13, 2021
7:00 pm, FS1
ProvidenceL 47–57 3–9
(1–9)
 10  Jones  11  Ongenda  3  Elvis Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
February 17, 2021
7:30 pm, FS1
at Seton HallL 52–60 3–10
(1–10)
 15  Paulicap  10  Paulicap  3  Elvis Prudential Center (0)
Newark, NJ
February 20, 2021
6:30 pm, FS1
at St. John'sW 88–83 4–10
(2–10)
 24  Moore  9  Paulicap  8  Moore Carnesecca Arena (0)
Queens, NY
February 24, 2021
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at No. 14 CreightonL 53–77 4–11
(2–11)
 9  Tied  7  Tied  3  Moore CHI Health Center Omaha (1,936)
Omaha, NE
February 27, 2021
11:00 am, FS1
GeorgetownL 60–68 4–12
(2–12)
 22  Moore  5  Pauicap  4  Moore Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
March 2, 2021
8:00 pm, FS1
MarquetteL 71–77 4–13
(2–13)
 20  Paulicap  10  Weems  6  Moore Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
Big East tournament
March 10, 2021
8:00 pm, FS1
(11) vs. (6) Providence
First round
W 70–62 5–13
 21  Tied  8  Paulicap  3  Moore Madison Square Garden (824)
Manhattan, NY
March 10, 2021
9:00 pm, FS1
(11) vs. (3) UConn
Quarterfinals
L 60–94 5–14
 19  Freeman-Liberty  6  Moore  2  Tied Madison Square Garden (824)
Manhattan, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[23]

References