DePaul men’s basketball is less than three weeks away from their home opener against Loyola (MD) and on Wednesday morning, the Blue Demons received some unfortunate news regarding projected junior guard Caleb Murphy. 

Head coach Tony Stubblefield announced Wednesday morning that Murphy underwent a surgical procedure Tuesday on his wrist and will be reevaluated in six weeks. 

Murphy will work to return to play under the guidance of the team medical staff, but an exact timetable is yet to be determined.

“Caleb has been working very hard and been an asset to our team since he arrived this summer,” Stubblefield said in a statement on Wednesday. “We are obviously disappointed for him with this bump in the road. We look forward to a speedy recovery and Caleb to make his Blue Demon debut.”

Murphy, who transferred from the University of South Florida last June, has three years of eligibility remaining at DePaul. He started 31 games last season for South Florida, averaging 11.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.1 percent from the field.

Murphy was in prime position to be one of the Blue Demons starting guards to start the season, but with him being sidelined, the expectation is that four-star recruit Zion Cruz will see an increase in minutes, along with Oklahoma transfer graduate student Umoja Gibson playing more as the primary ball handler running the offense.. 

The Blue Demons added a ton of depth this offseason, with the additions of transfers Umoja Gibson, KT Raimey, Da’Sean Nelson and freshman Zion Cruz.

Gibson should be in the mix to take over as the team’s primary go-to guard come opening night against Loyola (MD), especially since he has the most experience on the team, entering his sixth collegiate season. He played in 35 games last season for the Sooners, averaging 13.3 points, 1.5 assist and 2.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 39 percent beyond the arc.

 DePaul’s home opener will take place Nov. 7 when they host Loyola (MD) at 6:45 p.m. CDT at Wintrust Area.