The DePaul Blue Demons dropped their Big East opening game versus the Providence Friars 70-63 in overtime after 10 different lead changes in the contest.
DePaul led by three at halftime but it was a slow start to the second half that plagued them.
DePaul only scored seven points in the first 7:05 of the second half, something that has become a trend.
“It’s something we are looking at,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “Whether it’s lineup situations or whether we got to get them (starters) back out there quicker…you’re always evaluating that.”
Nine games into the season, DePaul is still trying different lineup rotations to try and find what works for them before conference play intensifies.
“We’re not tied to a starting lineup,” Holtmann said. “It’s going to be fluid.”
Graduate David Skogman set a career high in made three-point shots with six, leading the Blue Demons with 22 points. Holtmann cited how Providence was playing DePaul defensively and created opportunities for Skogman to switch onto a smaller defender creating a mismatch.
Though Skogman had a career night, he was not satisfied with the team’s performance.
“I think tonight we showed that we can compete in the Big East,” Skogman said. “But, you know, that’s not good enough for us. We expect that of ourselves, and we just want to be better.”
One area Holtmann highlighted as a weakness for DePaul was the transition defense, especially in the second half.
“I thought our transition defense was the worst part of our defense tonight,” Holtmann said. “We’ve got to get better with that. We gave up way too many easy scores, particularly in the second half … And that’s on all of us, coaches and players. We got to get better with that for sure.”
Even though DePaul dropped their Big East opener, something they have not won since the 2014-15 season, the changes in the DePaul program from the outside are noticeable.
“It’s probably the first time in my career I’ve played a program for the second year, and I didn’t even watch last year’s game,” Providence head coach Kim English said. “Last year’s game against DePaul meant nothing.”
English applauded Holtmann for what he’s been able to do in a short time to turn the DePaul program around.
“Coach Holtmann has done a great job,” English said. “It is a challenge getting transfers to buy into what you’re trying to do. I think a lot of programs in the country are going through it… It’s just a challenge, and he’s doing it with every single player. They are gonna improve, and they’re gonna win. They’re gonna win some Big East games this year without a question.”
DePaul now falls to 7-2 on the season. They have already doubled the win total from a season ago when they won three games under former head coach Tony Stubblefield.
With the success and competitiveness of DePaul, more fans are coming out to games at Wintrust and creating a true home atmosphere for DePaul, something that hasn’t always been there in recent seasons.
“The environment at the start of the game was really good,” English said. “Usually when we talk about Big East basketball and the crowds, we usually exclude DePaul, but it’s Chris (Holtmann) going to get this thing going. That was a really fun game tonight. Great crowd.”
DePaul had their second biggest attendance of the season with 3,548. Falling just short of their Nov. 23 game versus Northern Illinois where 3,593 attended.
“We could really feel it when we’re making our runs,” DePaul graduate guard Isaiah Rivera said. “We can feel the defense chants. We appreciate that, and we hope it continues, and we’re gonna work as hard as we can to bring wins for this fan base.”
DePaul gets ready to take on Wichita State at Wintrust Arena On Dec. 14 before a two game road trip against conference opponent St. Johns and Northwestern.
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