Feb 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; DePaul Blue Demons head coach Chris Holtmann directs his crew in opposition to the St. John’s Crimson Storm through the first half at Wintrust Enviornment. Obligatory Credit score: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Photos Since DePaul joined the Big East in 2005, it has skilled only one successful report in league play.
The Blue Demons completed alone in final place 10 occasions of their first 20 Big East years and shared the basement two different occasions.
With that as the backdrop, there’s extra on the road than the data counsel when DePaul (16-14, 8-11) hosts Butler (15-15, 6-13) in a regular-season finale Saturday morning in Chicago.
If the Blue Demons win, they’re going to clinch the No. 5 seed and a first-round bye within the Big East event. They’ve by no means had a bye or such a excessive seed. They’d additionally clinch the college’s first successful season since 2018-19.
“This program was as soon as good,” stated DePaul guard Brandon Maclin, one among 4 Senior Day honorees. “After which it dropped from being good. We have got to rebuild it again up and I imagine we’re the inspiration to this system getting proper again the place it must be.”
Second-year boss Chris Holtmann, among the many 20 finalists for the Jim Phelan Award that goes to the nationwide coach of the 12 months, has rebuilt the Blue Demons on defensive effort and unselfishness.
Per KenPom, DePaul entered Friday’s motion ranked No. 39 in defensive effectivity (100.6 factors allowed per 100 possessions) and twenty seventh in assists per area purpose (60.8%).
One space of concern? The Blue Demons have performed so onerous to get the place they’re, they could be carrying down. They made simply 2 of 16 from 3-point vary in Wednesday’s 19-point house loss to Villanova.
“It is crossed my thoughts that do we’ve got some guys on the market which have logged a variety of minutes all through the course of the season and it is caught up with them just a little bit,” Holtmann stated. “We have got to determine a solution to hold them recent, which is why I stored a few of these guys on the bench just a little bit extra (Wednesday evening).
“The clear seems to be that we have had, that a few of our guys have had, that they are lacking is just a little bit uncharacteristic.”
Butler enters Saturday after a equally disappointing Wednesday consequence at house. The Bulldogs suffered a 17-point loss to Creighton whereas hitting simply 4 of 24 from 3-point vary. Head coach Thad Matta urged it was a brand new low for his squad, which has dropped eight of their final 10 video games.
“It was a kind of video games the place we did not have it,” Matta stated after the 76-57 loss to Creighton. “The factor that bothers me most is that, you already know, you sit at house and watch video games at evening, like, whoo, that crew, there’s one which acquired drilled (and) they acquired drilled (and) they acquired drilled. I instructed my spouse, ‘We have not accomplished that but. We have continued to struggle. We have continued to scrape. We have continued to claw.'”
On a person foundation, Butler’s Michael Ajayi (16.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg) and Finley Bizjack (17.0 ppg) and DePaul’s CJ Gunn (13.5 ppg) and NJ Benson (11.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) have their final probability to place up numbers and enhance their all-Big East candidacies.
–Subject Degree Media
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