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
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 18 Villanova 11 4   .733 18 7   .720
No. 19 Creighton 14 6   .700 22 9   .710
UConn 11 6   .647 15 8   .652
St. John's 10 9   .526 16 11   .593
Seton Hall 10 9   .526 14 13   .519
Providence 9 10   .474 13 13   .500
Xavier 6 7   .462 13 8   .619
Georgetown 7 9   .438 13 13   .500
Marquette 8 11   .421 13 14   .481
Butler 8 12   .400 10 15   .400
DePaul 2 13   .133 5 14   .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

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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

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Departures

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DePaul Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Flynn Cameron 21 G 6'3" 198 Junior Auckland, New Zealand Transferred to UC Riverside
Jalen Coleman-Lands 5 G 6'4" 185 Senior Indianapolis, IN Transferred to Iowa State
Devin Gage 3 G 6'2" 205 Junior Chicago, IL Transferred to Fresno State
Paul Reed 4 F 6'9" 220 Junior Orlando, FL Declared for 2020 NBA draft; selected 58th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers[5]
Lyrik Shreiner 10 G 6'3" 195 Senior Phoenix, AZ Graduated
D. J. Williams 32 F 6'7" 215 Senior Chicago, IL Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Javon Freeman-Liberty 4 G 6'4 180 Junior Chicago, IL Valparaiso
Courvoisier McCauley 23 G 6'5 180 Junior Indianapolis, IN Lincoln Memorial
Pauly Paulicap 33 F 6'8 225 Senior Elmont, NY Manhattan
Ray Salnave 10 G 6'3 205 Senior Elmont, NY Monmouth

2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kobe Elvis
PG
Brampton, ON Bill Crothers Secondary School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 24, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Keon Edwards
SF
Pasadena, TX Hillcrest Prep 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jan 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: 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

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2020–21 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Markese Jacobs 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Uplift Community Chicago, IL
F 1 Romeo Weems 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So New Haven Detroit, MI
G 3 Kobe Elvis 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Bill Crothers Secondary School Brampton, ON
G 4 Javon Freeman-Liberty 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Whitney Young (Valparaiso) Chicago, IL
F 5 Keon Edwards 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep (AZ) Pasadena, TX
G 10 Ray Salnave 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Benjamin Cardozo (Monmouth) Elmont, NY
G 11 Charlie Moore 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Sr Morgan Park (Kansas/California) Chicago, IL
G 12 Jason Malonga (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Benet Academy Bolingbrook, IL
F 13 Darious Hall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Mills University Studies (Arkansas) Little Rock, AR
C 14 Nick Ongenda 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Southwest Christian Academy (AR) Mississauga, Ontario
G 15 Oscar Lopez Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) Cypress, CA
G 20 Brendan Favre (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr IMG Academy (FL) Vevey, Switzerland
G 23 Courvoisier McCauley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 211 lb (96 kg) RS Jr Emmerich Manual (Lincoln Memorial) Indianapolis, IN
G 30 Max Williams (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr IMG Academy (FL) Chicago, IL
F 32 David Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Teays Valley Christian (WV) Santo Domingo, DR
F 33 Pauly Paulicap 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Elmont Memorial (Manhattan) Elmont, NY
G 35 Pantelis Xidias (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sr La Lumiere Michigan 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

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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# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS2
Western Illinois Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to December 23rd.[9] Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
November 28, 2020*
12:00 pm, FS2
Chicago State Canceled due to COVID-19 issues[9] Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 1, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS2
Alcorn State Canceled due to COVID-19 issues[9] Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 3, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS1
Northern Illinois Postponed 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 Hall Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 17th.[12] Prudential Center 
Newark, NJ
December 14, 2020
6:00 pm, FS1
at Villanova Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 9th.[13] Finneran Pavilion 
Villanova, PA
December 17, 2020
6:00 pm, FS1
at Providence Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to December 27th.[14] Alumni Hall 
Providence, RI
December 18, 2020
1:00 pm, FS1
Xavier Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 3, 2021.[15] Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 21, 2020
4:30 pm, FS1
at Butler Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 6th.[16] Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 23, 2020
8:00 pm, FS1
UConn Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to January 11, 2021.[17] Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
December 23, 2020*
8:00 pm, FS1
Western Illinois W 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 Providence L 90–95 2OT 1–1
(0–1)
 21  Weems   8  Hall   8  Moore  Alumni Hall (0)
Providence, RI
December 30, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at UConn L 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's Postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Rescheduled to February 20, 2021.[18] Carnesecca Arena 
Queens, NY
January 5, 2021
6:00 pm, FS1
No. 3 Villanova Postponed due to COVID-19 issues [19] Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
January 9, 2021
1:00 pm, FS1
Seton Hall L 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 UConn L 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 Georgetown Postponed due to COVID-19 issues [20] McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, D.C.
January 16, 2021*
3:00 pm, FS1
Valparaiso W 77–58  2–4
 20  Weems   10  Hall   5  Moore  Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
January 19, 2021
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Butler L 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 Marquette W 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's L 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 Creighton L 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
Xavier Postponed due to COVID-19 issues [21] Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
February 6, 2021
11:00 am, FS1
at Butler L 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 Villanova Postponed due to COVID-19 issues Finneran Pavilion 
Villanova, PA
February 11, 2021
2:30 pm, FS1
at Xavier Postponed due to COVID-19 issues [22] Cintas Center 
Cincinnati, OH
February 13, 2021
7:00 pm, FS1
Providence L 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 Hall L 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's W 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 Creighton L 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
Georgetown L 60–68  4–12
(2–12)
 22  Moore   5  Pauicap   4  Moore  Wintrust Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
March 2, 2021
8:00 pm, FS1
Marquette L 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

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  1. ^ "DePaul fires Leitao after 5 straight seasons in last". ESPN.com. March 15, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  2. ^ "AP source: DePaul hires Oregon's Tony Stubblefield as coach". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "DePaul vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 11, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  4. ^ West, Jenna. "Big East Cancels Tournament Over Coronavirus". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Tribune Staff, Chicago. "DePaul's Paul Reed Drafted by Philadelphia 76ers". ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "NCAA committees pushing for Nov. 25 as the start date for the 2020-21 college basketball season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "NCAA: Men's, women's hoops can start Nov. 25". ESPN.com. September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  8. ^ staff, Sun-Times (November 19, 2020). "DePaul cancels first three games of basketball season after positive coronavirus tests". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "DePaul cancels 3 games after COVID positives". ESPN.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Rose, Norman (January 2, 2021). "St. John's vs DePaul postponed due to COVID". Rumble In The Garden. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  11. ^ "DePaul-Villanova Game Postponed Due to COVID-19 Protocols". DePaul University Athletics. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "2020-21 DePaul Blue Demons Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "2020-21 DePaul Blue Demons Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". DePaul Blue Demons. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "2020-21 DePaul Blue Demons Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "2020-21 DePaul Blue Demons Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "DePaul's Game Against Connecticut Postponed, Western Illinois Rescheduled to Wednesday". DePaul Blue Demons. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  18. ^ "DePaul-St. John's Game Postponed Due to COVID-19 Protocols". DePaul Blue Demons. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  19. ^ "DePaul-Villanova Game Postponed Due to COVID-19 Protocols". DePaul Blue Demons. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  20. ^ "DePaul-Georgetown Game Postponed Due to COVID-19 Protocols". DePaul Blue Demons. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "BIG EAST Announces Basketball Schedule Update Including DePaul-Xavier Game Postponed on Wednesday". DePaul Blue Demons. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  22. ^ "Thursday's Men's Basketball Game at Xavier Postponed". DePaul Blue Demons. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  23. ^ "2020-21 DePaul Blue Demons Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 20, 2020.