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