“I don’t think it’s going to be long-term, but we’ll see about Georgetown on Tuesday,” Holtmann said.

He said that they will “know more tomorrow.”

Holtmann mentioned that McClure “had (a) great practice yesterday, but it just kind of happened.” Holtmann also said that the practice yesterday was “physical” and called it “kind of a freak thing.”

“It’s a great feeling,” Gunn said. “We got a couple last year, but we’ve really been fighting and inching our way towards one this year, and to finally come out on top, it’s just a long time coming.”

“We’re able to get enough stops and enough … rebounds there to pull away,” Holtmann said. “Big time shots from our guys. A really clean offensive game for us overall.”

Blocker runs back towards the locker room, but is already back.

Keys to the Blue Demons’ offense this half:

14 paint points

10 points off of free throws

Nine points off of 3-pointers, but Blocker’s attempt also led to the free throws.

Smith comes up big with a 3-pointer to put the Blue Demons up four instead of just one.

Gunn slams it home, and on the next possession, Brandon Maclin converts the three-point play.

The closest one to fouling out is Banks with three fouls. Gunn and Benson both have two.

The game remains close, with DePaul only having a four-point lead with 7:56 left to play.

The Blue Demons were on a 7-0 run before Xavier knocked down a 3-pointer. Five of the seven were scored off of free throws.

DePaul is now outscoring Xavier in the second half 13-12. The key is to keep that going.

Wintrust comes alive once the foul is called. Blocker goes to the line for three free throws. 3-point shots have been key in the second half for the Blue Demons. They have scored six points off 3-pointers, and Blocker’s attempt led to three made free throws. In terms of second half scoring, Blocker leads the way with six points.

Although the Blue Demons entered the second half with a three-point lead, they have been unable to pull away. The Blue Demons only lead by one with 12:59 remaining.

Xavier is outscoring DePaul six to five in the second half. Gunn has scored three of the five for DePaul.

Players are getting into it on the court at the end of the half. Both teams were grouped together before eventually separating. Gunn and Roddie Anderson III were issued technicals.

Xavier and DePaul have each knocked down five 3-pointers. Although DePaul is losing the paint battle 20-14, they have seven points off of free throws while Xavier has none.

Not only is Xavier finding the aforementioned success in the paint, but they are also 5-for-9 from three.

The Blue Demons are 4-for-12 from three. Gunn still leads the way for DePaul. He is up to eight points.

Xavier has scored 14 of their 26 points in the paint.

DePaul has had eight attempts from the free-throw line so far and has scored six points off of it.

Xavier is currently on a 7-0 run. On the offensive end, the Blue Demons have four turnovers for the game.

The Blue Demons have:

Nine points from three

Six points in the paint

Two points off free throws

Gunn is leading the way offensively for the Blue Demons with five points so far. The Blue Demons have gotten a mix of looks in the paint, from three and from the free-throw line. They have forced Xavier into two turnovers so far.

The Blue Demons’ first four shots were from the three-point line; they are 1-for-4 from three.

The game starts NOW. The Blue Demons look to secure their first Big East win of the season after starting 0-3 in Big East play.

G Layden Blocker

G RJ Smith

G CJ Gunn

F Kaleb Banks

F NJ Benson

Per a team official, McClure (concussion protocol) is out today.

Per the Big East’s availability report, Jeremy Lorenz is out. Kruz McClure is listed as questionable. It appears that he is not warming up with the team.

1. Limit fouls. 

Kaleb Banks and CJ Gunn both fouled out in the five-point loss to Villanova. RJ Smith ended with four fouls, while NJ Benson and Brandon Maclin had three. 

The Blue Demons thrive on the defensive end, and to do so, players cannot be worried about foul trouble. Also, to secure a lead – and build on it – they need their key players in the game and to also not be in situations where players have to sit to limit their fouls. 

2. Extend a lead and don’t lose it. 

The Blue Demons secured a 10-point lead with 11:01 remaining in the game against Villanova, but ended up losing by five points. They need to keep the offensive rhythm going and continue to score, building an even larger lead and taking advantage of stops on the defensive end.