Last year, DePaul’s season lasted 128 days and the Blue Demons amassed just three wins.
DePaul needed just 12 days to hurdle that miniature benchmark this season.
Not only has new coach Chris Holtmann directed DePaul to a 4-0 start heading into Tuesday night’s home game against Eastern Illinois (1-3), the Blue Demons have strung together three consecutive wins by 25-plus points for the first time in 30 years.
This is not to suggest the Blue Demons have arrived. The average KenPom.com ranking of their four vanquished foes is 278 (out of 364 Division I teams). DePaul won’t leave home or face a team ranked higher than 193rd until Dec. 4 – when they visit Texas Tech as part of the Big 12-Big East Battle.
Holtmann already has addressed with his players the Blue Demons’ relative lack of accomplishment to date.
“As ‘Coach Holt’ actually talked about (the other day), we don’t want to get arrogant or thinking we’ve proven ourselves or earned respect back,” said starting point guard Conor Enright, who leads the Big East with 6.8 assists per game. “We want to keep going every day with the same approach. So, yeah, definitely upbeat and confident, but I think we’re still attacking every day and every game the same.”
Holtmann, who brought in 13 new scholarship players, has been spreading the playing time around as his team jells. Graduate transfer shooting guard Isaiah Rivera, late of nearby UIC, leads the team in scoring (17.0 ppg) and minutes (28.0 mpg). Nine Demons are averaging at least 12.3 minutes and nine are averaging at least 6.3 points.
Meanwhile, Eastern Illinois (1-3) continues its lucrative tour of Illinois’ and Indiana’s biggest schools. The Panthers already own losses Illinois, Indiana and Northwestern, but they have improved each time out. They led the Hoosiers by 1 at halftime Nov. 10 (before falling 90-55), then they took the Wildcats to overtime Friday night.
Senior guard Nakyel Shelton (16.5 ppg) hasn’t been afraid to launch against anybody. He fired 20 shots against Northwestern on his way to a season-high 19 points, including the runner that sent the game to OT. Shelton also contributed 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists.
Considering Eastern Illinois’ opponents are shooting 64 percent inside the arc, this could be a night for DePaul’s 6-foot-8, 235-pound NJ Benson (8.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg) to power for his share of dunks and layups. He took advantage of undersized Prairie View A&M and Mercer for 30 points in just 34 minutes off the bench.
