The Blue Demons have opened their season on a grind. With a back-to-back to start the season, there were only two nights of rest before DePaul faces Farleigh-Dickinson at Wintrust Arena for a 7 p.m. tip-off tonight. The team is looking to improve to 3-0 on the season in the first week.

It should be the first test for the Blue Demons, as the Knights are coming off a 21-14 season where they won the Northeast Conference and reached the NCAA tournament before running into Gonzaga in the first round. 

The matchup will be the last game without head coach Dave Leitao, who is finishing the 3-game suspension he received in the summer.

Although the Blue Demons haven’t missed a beat without him, defeating Alcorn State 72-54 and U Chicago 84-55 in their openers, starting the season 2-0 with interim head coach Tim Anderson making the calls from the bench.

The Farleigh-Dickinson side is coming off of their season opener against FDU-Florham where they dominated by a score of 101-52. Second-leading scorer Jahlil Jenkins is returning to the Knights this season, the junior guard averaged 13.6 points per game. In their opener, Jenkins had 21, as 6’7” forward Elyjah Williams added 18 to go with eight rebounds and five assists. 

It’s the third game of a young season for the Blue Demons, but it’s just the beginning of a packed November. Eight games in November are a new high for the program. After the three-game homestand, DePaul travels to Iowa to face off against the Hawkeyes on Monday night. 

The Blue Demons have had a few standouts so far. Point guard Charlie Moore has been the key addition to this squad, averaging 15.5 points to go with 5.5 assists through two games. Jaylen Butz and Paul Reed have been excellent as well, with Butz scoring 11.5 and Reed scoring 11. Both players have crashed the boards, with seven and nine rebounds per game, respectively. 

The freshman duo Markese Jacobs and Romeo Weems both have averaged 12 points in the first two games.

This is the second time the programs have faced off with DePaul winning the first meeting 105-64 on Dec. 18, 1982, at the Rosemont Horizon. 

37 years later, both teams are looking to have solid seasons. Farleigh-Dickinson will contend for a conference championship again, and DePaul is looking to score respect within the Big East and the country as a whole.

DePaul is a 13.5 favorite against the Knights, as they look to end the week with a bang to carry themselves further into the 2019-20 season.