Those itching to experience Blue Demon basketball at newly opened Wintrust Arena will have plenty of opportunities to do just that during the non-conference portion of DePaul’s schedule.  The Blue Demons released their non-conference schedule for the 2017-2018 season and will host seven non-conference games at Wintrust Arena.

The Blue Demon’s season begins on Nov. 11 with a matchup against Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse Notre Dame in what will be the first regular-season game ever played at Wintrust Arena. DePaul will host Delaware State, Youngstown State, Central Connecticut State, Alabama A&M, Northwestern, and Miami (Ohio) to finish off the non-conference home slate.

The Blue Demons will also navigate a challenging road game and three neutral-site games during the non-conference portion of the upcoming schedule. On Nov. 17, the Blue Demons will travel south to face off against the University of Illinois Fighting Illini for the first time in 60 years as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games series which matches up the Big East and Big 10 in a cross-conference showdown.

During Thanksgiving week, the Blue Demons will fly out to Portland, Ore. to take part in the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational tournament that includes North Carolina, Portland, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Connecticut, and Oregon.  DePaul will play Michigan State in the first round.  

DePaul finished 7-6 in non-conference play and 9-23 overall, ending their season in the first round of the Big East tournament on a 75-64 to Xavier.

Here is the Blue Demons full non-conference schedule for the 2017-2018 season:

Exhibition Game: Indiana University Northwest (NAIA); Nov. 5, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• Part of a doubleheader with the DePaul women’s basketball team.
• IU Northwest competes in the NAIA and finished 21-11 last season. The school has about 6,400 students enrolled.

University of Notre Dame; Nov. 11, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• The two teams have matched up 105 times and the Fighting Irish lead the series 66-40. The last meeting between the two teams was in 2013 and Notre Dame won 82-78 in overtime.
• Notre Dame and DePaul will play in South Bend, Ind. next season.
• Notre Dame finished 26-10 last season to earn a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. West Virginia bounced them in the second round of the tournament.

Delaware State University; Nov. 13, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• This is the first meeting between the two programs.
• The Hornets finished 10-21 overall and 7-9 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They reached the NCAA Tournament in 2005, but Duke beat them 57-46 in the first round.
• The Hornets beat DePaul’s Big East rival St. John 79-72 last season.

University of Illinois; Nov. 17, 2017; State Farm Center, Champaign, Ill.

• Part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games series which pits teams in the Big East against teams in the Big 10.
• The Illini finished 20-15 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten last season. Illinois hasn’t finished with a winning record in conference since the 2009-2010 season and hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2012-2013.
• This is the first meeting between the two teams since 1957 and the Illini hold a 12-6 lead in the series.
• Current Blue Demon guard Jalen Coleman-Lands transferred from Illinois to DePaul in July. Per transfer rules, he must sit out this season.

PK80-Phil Knight Invitational Tournament; Nov. 23-26; Portland, Ore.

• DePaul will play three games in this tournament.
• The Blue Demons will match up against Michigan State University in the first round of the tournament. It’s widely expected that the Spartans will earn a preseason rank inside the top 10.
• The Blue Demons will play either the University of Connecticut Huskies or the University of Oregon Ducks in the second round of the tournament. Oregon made the Final Four last season.
• In their final game of the tournament, DePaul will either play Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, or Portland. Arkansas made the NCAA Tournament last season and won a game in the first round. North Carolina won the NCAA championship.

Youngstown State University; Dec. 2, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• These two teams meet for the third time and the Blue Demons hold a 2-1 advantage in the series.
• The Penguins finished 13-21 overall and 5-13 in Horizon League play last season. The program has competed in three conferences, but has yet to win a conference regular season or tournament championship.

Central Connecticut State; Dec. 6, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• This is the first meeting between the two teams.
• Central Connecticut States’ mascot is the Blue Devil.
• The Blue Devils have appeared in three NCAA Tournaments, the most recent appearance coming in 2007. They have never advanced past the first round.
• The Blue Devils finished 6-23 overall and 4-14 in the Northeast Conference last season.

University of Illinois at Chicago; Dec. 9, 2017; UIC Pavilion, Chicago

• The Blue Demons and the Flames have met seven times, with DePaul holding a 5-2 lead in the series. Last season, UIC beat DePaul 80-75.
• The Flames have earned an NCAA Tournament berth three times, but have never won a game once they made it there.
• UIC finished 17-19 overall and 7-11 in the Horizon League last season. They finished sixth in conference last season out of ten teams.

Alabama A&M; Dec. 11, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• Last season, the Bulldogs finished 341 out of 347 NCAA Division I teams with 61.7 points per game. They were outscored by an average of 8.5 points per game.
• This is the first meeting between the two teams.
• The Bulldogs finished 2-27 overall and 2-16 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. They made their only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005.

Northwestern University; Dec. 16, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• The two teams have played 32 times and DePaul holds a 20-12 lead in the all-time series. Last season, the Wildcats bested the Blue Demons 80-64 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
• The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history last season. They beat Vanderbilt in the first round, but fell to top seeded Gonzaga in the second round despite a ferocious second-half comeback.
• Northwestern finished 24-12 overall and 10-8 in the Big 10 last season. They lost two players from this squad.

Miami (Ohio); Dec. 21, 2017; Wintrust Arena, Chicago

• The two teams have met seven times and the Blue Demons hold a 4-3 advantage over the RedHawks. They last played during the 1960-1961 season.
• The RedHawks finished 11-21 overall and 4-14 in the Mid-American Conference last season. They have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 17 times. Former Chicago Bulls player Ron Harper played basketball for the RedHawks from 1982-1986.