2017–18 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team

The 2017–18 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team represented DePaul University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by third-year (sixth overall with DePaul) head coach Dave Leitao and played their home games at the new Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 11–20, 4–14 in Big East play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Marquette.

2017–18 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	11–20 (4–14 Big East)
Head coach	Dave Leitao (3rd straight, 6th overall season)
Assistant coaches	Tim Anderson Bill Courtney Shane Heirman
Home arena	Wintrust Arena

2017–18 Big East men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 3 Xavier	15	–	3		.833			29	–	6		.829
No. 2 Villanova †	14	–	4		.778			36	–	4		.900
Seton Hall	10	–	8		.556			22	–	12		.647
Creighton	10	–	8		.556			21	–	12		.636
Providence	10	–	8		.556			21	–	14		.600
Butler	9	–	9		.500			21	–	14		.600
Marquette	9	–	9		.500			21	–	14		.600
Georgetown	5	–	13		.278			15	–	15		.500
St. John's	4	–	14		.222			16	–	17		.485
DePaul	4	–	14		.222			11	–	20		.355
† 2018 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Blue Demons finished the 2016–17 season 9–23, 2–16 in Big East play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Xavier. That season marked the Blue Demons' final season at Allstate Arena

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
R. J. Curington	0	G	6'5"	199	Senior	Dyer, IN	Graduated
Darrick Wood	1	G	6'5"	178	Senior	Alexandria, VA	Graduated
Billy Garrett Jr.	5	G	6'6"	210	Senior	Chicago, IL	Graduated
Erten Gazi	12	G	6'4"	212	Sophomore	Northern Cyprus	Transferred to Fordham
Al Eichelberger	23	F	6'7"	251	Freshman	Saginaw, MI	Transferred to Cleveland State
David Leitao III	32	F	6'5'	220	Senior	Virginia Beach, VA	Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Levi Cook	44	C	6'10"	300	Freshman	Clarksburg, WV	Transferred to Marshall
Chris Harrison-Docks	51	G	5'10"	189	RS Senior	Okemos, MI	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Jalen Coleman-Lands	5	G	6'3"	190	Junior	Indianapolis, IN	Transfer from Illinois. Under NCAA transfer rules, Coleman-Lands will have to sit out the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Marin Maric	34	C	6'11"	250	RS Senior	Split, Croatia	Transferred from Northern Illinois. Will be eligible to play immediately since Maric graduated from Northern Illinois.

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Justin Roberts #32 PG	Indianapolis, IN	Pike High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 13, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaylen Butz #58 PF	Fort Wayne, IN	North Side High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Oct 6, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Paul Reed SF	Apopka, FL	Wekiva High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Dec 4, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017. "2017 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
John Diener SG	Cedarburg, WI	Cedarburg High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	May 4, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017. "2018 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.

Preseason

The Blue Demons were picked to finish in last place in the preseason Big East poll.

Roster

2017–18 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Justin Roberts 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Findlay Prep Indianapolis, IN G 1 Austin Grandstaff 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So Rockwall Ohio State Rockwall, TX F 2 Jaylen Butz 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Fr North Side Fort Wayne, IN G 3 Devin Gage  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Curie Chicago, IL G 4 Brandon Cyrus 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So La Lumiere School Toronto, ON G 5 Jalen Coleman-Lands  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr La Lumiere School Illinois Indianapolis, IN F 10 Tre'Darius McCallum 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr St. James Indian Hills CC Myrtle Beach, SC G 11 Eli Cain 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr St. Benedict's Prep Willingboro, NJ G 12 Jason Malonga (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Benet Academy Bolingbrook, IL G 13 James Anderson (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr La Lumiere Melbourne, Australia F 15 Paul Reed 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Wekiva Orlando, FL G 21 Pantelis Xidias (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr La Lumiere Michigan City, IN F 22 Tobias Dwimaah (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr DePaul Prep Chicago, IL F 30 Peter Ryckbosch 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr St. Ignatius Chicago, IL G 31 Max Strus 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Amos Alonzo Stagg Lewis University Hickory Hills, IL F 33 Joe Hanel (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Sr Holy Family Catholic Savage, MN C 34 Marin Maric 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr La Lumiere School Northern Illinois Split, Croatia	Head coach Dave Leitao (Northeastern) Assistant coach(es) Tim Anderson (Oklahoma Panhandle State) Bill Courtney (Bucknell) Shane Heirman (Tulsa) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Nov 5, 2017* 3:00 pm		IU Northwest	W 121–65	–	22 – Strus	11 – McCallum	6 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (4,751) Chicago, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2017* 3:00 pm, FS1		No. 14 Notre Dame	L 58–72	0–1	14 – Tied	5 – McCallum	3 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (10,194) Chicago, IL
Nov 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, FS2		Delaware State	W 81–57	1–1	17 – McCallum	13 – Butz	8 – Gage	Wintrust Arena (4,527) Chicago, IL
Nov 17, 2017* 7:30 pm, BTN		at Illinois Gavitt Tipoff Games	L 73–82	1–2	19 – Roberts	7 – Butz	5 – Roberts	State Farm Center (11,254) Champaign, IL
Nov 23, 2017* 10:30 pm, ESPN		vs. No. 4 Michigan State PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Quarterfinals	L 51–73	1–3	12 – Tied	4 – 3 tied	2 – 3 tied	Moda Center (13,439) Portland, OR
Nov 24, 2017* 8:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. Oregon PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Consolation 2nd round	L 79–89 OT	1–4	22 – Maric	9 – McCallum	4 – Cain	Veterans Memorial Coliseum (8,853) Portland, OR
Nov 26, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. Portland PK80–Phil Knight Invitational 7th place game	W 82–69	2–4	21 – Strus	13 – Maric	6 – Gage	Veterans Memorial Coliseum (2,771) Portland, OR
Dec 2, 2017* 1:00 pm, FSN		Youngstown State	W 89–73	3–4	20 – Strus	7 – Cain	4 – Strus	Wintrust Arena (4,732) Chicago, IL
Dec 6, 2017* 8:00 pm, FS1		Central Connecticut	W 85–57	4–4	17 – Cain	9 – Butz	5 – Roberts	Wintrust Arena (4,458) Chicago, IL
Dec 9, 2017* 3:00 pm, NBCS CHI		at UIC	W 65–55	5–4	24 – Strus	8 – Cain	8 – Cain	UIC Pavilion (3,229) Chicago, IL
Dec 11, 2017* 8:00 pm, FS1		Alabama A&M	W 83–59	6–4	14 – Strus	6 – Reed	8 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (4,508) Chicago, IL
Dec 16, 2017* 1:00 pm, FS1		Northwestern	L 60–62	6–5	33 – Strus	11 – McCallum	5 – Cyrus	Wintrust Arena (7,001) Chicago, IL
Dec 21, 2017* 8:00 pm, FS1		Miami (OH)	W 83–66	7–5	22 – Maric	8 – McCallum	4 – Tied	Wintrust Arena (4,890) Chicago, IL
Big East Conference regular season
Dec 27, 2017 6:30 pm, CBSSN		No. 1 Villanova	L 85–103	7–6 (0–1)	20 – Strus	10 – Maric	6 – 3 tied	Wintrust Arena (8,323) Chicago, IL
Dec 30, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1		at No. 6 Xavier	L 72–77	7–7 (0–2)	33 – Strus	8 – McCallum	6 – Maric	Cintas Center (10,436) Cincinnati, OH
Jan 2, 2018 8:15 pm, FS1		Georgetown	L 81–90	7–8 (0–3)	19 – Strus	7 – McCallum	10 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (5,190) Chicago, IL
Jan 6, 2018 1:00 pm, FSN		at St. John's	W 91–74	8–8 (1–3)	25 – Maric	11 – Maric	5 – Maric	Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY
Jan 12, 2018 7:30 pm, FS1		Providence	L 64–71	8–9 (1–4)	15 – Maric	9 – Strus	4 – 3 tied	Wintrust Arena (5,354) Chicago, IL
Jan 15, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1		at Marquette	L 52–70	8–10 (1–5)	15 – Cyrus	8 – Maric	4 – Strus	BMO Harris Bradley Center (12,278) Milwaukee, WI
Jan 20, 2018 1:00 pm, FS1		Butler	L 67–79	8–11 (1–6)	27 – Strus	8 – McCallum	7 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (6,802) Chicago, IL
Jan 24, 2018 7:45 pm, FS1		at Georgetown	W 74–73	9–11 (2–6)	27 – Cain	9 – Reed	4 – Strus	Capital One Arena (4,828) Washington, D.C.
Jan 28, 2018 3:00 pm, CBSSN		Seton Hall	L 70–86	9–12 (2–7)	16 – McCallum	8 – Strus	6 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (5,650) Chicago, IL
Feb 3, 2018 11:00 am, FS1		at Butler	L 57–80	9–13 (2–8)	15 – Maric	7 – McCallum	4 – Roberts	Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,879) Indianapolis, IN
Feb 7, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1		Creighton	L 75–76	9–14 (2–9)	23 – Maric	11 – Reed	6 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (5,010) Chicago, IL
Feb 10, 2018 3:30 pm, FSN		at Providence	W 80–63	10–14 (3–9)	18 – Maric	10 – McCallum	5 – Cain	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,892) Providence, RI
Feb 14, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN		St. John's	L 76–77	10–15 (3–10)	19 – Cain	9 – Maric	11 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (4,690) Chicago, IL
Feb 18, 2018 3:00 pm, FS1		at Seton Hall	L 77–82	10–16 (3–11)	23 – Maric	8 – Maric	5 – Cain	Prudential Center (10,110) Newark, NJ
Feb 21, 2018 7:30 pm, FS1		at No. 3 Villanova	L 62–93	10–17 (3–12)	21 – Strus	8 – Reed	8 – Cain	Wells Fargo Center (10,007) Philadelphia, PA
Feb 24, 2018 11:00 am, FSN		Marquette	W 70–62	11–17 (4–12)	20 – Strus	13 – Maric	3 – 3 tied	Wintrust Arena (9,053) Chicago, IL
Feb 27, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1		at Creighton	L 57–82	11–18 (4–13)	14 – Strus	7 – Maric	6 – Strus	CenturyLink Center Omaha (18,191) Omaha, NE
Mar 3, 2018 11:00 am, FOX		No. 3 Xavier	L 62–65	11–19 (4–14)	20 – Cyrus	5 – 3 tied	4 – Cain	Wintrust Arena (7,972) Chicago, IL
Big East tournament
Mar 7, 2018 8:30 pm, FS1	(10)	vs. (7) Marquette First round	L 69–72	11–20	22 – 2 tied	10 – Maric	10 – Cain	Madison Square Garden (16,866) New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.