Men's College Basketball
Preview
Creighton at DePaul
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Where: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois

So long, skid.

Hello, streak?

After ending a prolific slump in Big East play on Friday, DePaul will aim to win consecutive league games for the first time in three seasons when it hosts Creighton on Tuesday night in Chicago.

To do so, the Blue Demons (10-9, 1-7 Big East) will have to replicate the depth and teamwork that guided them past host Georgetown 73-68, stopping their conference regular-season losing streak at 39 games.

CJ Gunn paced DePaul with 17 points while Layden Blocker (14) and NJ Benson (12) had big games off the bench. The Blue Demons boasted a 28-4 advantage in bench scoring against the Hoyas.

Gunn has scored in double figures in four straight games, including separate 21-point efforts against Seton Hall and Marquette in which DePaul lost in overtime.

"At the end of the day, we're growing. We're a work in progress," first-year Blue Demons coach Chris Holtmann said. "This new group is learning how to win at this level."

Creighton (12-6, 5-2) continues to surge after getting routed in its conference opener at Georgetown on Dec. 18. The Bluejays have won three in a row and five of six.

Jamiya Neal starred during Saturday's 68-63 win at No. 14 UConn, contributing a career-best 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting as Creighton ended the Huskies' 28-game home winning streak.

"He's really bought into how we play, and not just on the offensive end. Defensively, he's done some great things for us," Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. "I'm really proud of him. His trajectory for a one-year guy, a guy in his first year after a transfer, it's been incredible.

"Jamiya's growing by leaps and bounds, and it's a blessing."

Leading scorer and rebounder Ryan Kalkbrenner has posted double-doubles in three of four games after a 16-point, 10-rebound effort at UConn.

Creighton has won 20 straight meetings with DePaul and leads the all-time series 30-16.

DePaul's most recent Big East winning streak came from Feb. 24 to March 2, 2022, when it defeated Georgetown, St. John's and Marquette.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Neutral Day Night Conf
Creighton 12-6 W3 9-1 2-3 1-2 7-2 5-4 5-2
DePaul 10-9 W1 9-4 1-5 0-0 4-4 6-5 1-7
Last Meeting
Creighton DePaul
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
1/27/24 DEP 62 CREI 85 85 38 48.4 62 27 37.7
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Creighton T. Alexander 23 50.0 1
DePaul E. Fisher 12 60.0 0
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Creighton R. Kalkbrenner 10 3 7
DePaul M. Etienne 6 1 5
Assists Player  
Creighton T. Alexander 7
DePaul E. Fisher 2
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Creighton R. Kalkbrenner 301 65.4 56
DePaul J. Meyer 259 42.5 55
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Creighton R. Kalkbrenner 142 43 99
DePaul N. Benson 111 40 71
Assists Player  
Creighton S. Ashworth 114
DePaul C. Enright 127
Quickchart Matchup
blue bar Creighton Off vs  red bar DePaul Defense
blue bar 75.4 Points For
red bar 73.8 Points Against
blue bar 46.9 FG%
red bar 44.8 FG%
blue bar 34.6 Reb
red bar 30.6 Reb
red bar DePaul Off vs  blue bar Creighton Defense
red bar 77.1 Points For
blue bar 70.1 Points Against
red bar 45.2 FG%
blue bar 40.8 FG%
red bar 33.8 Reb
blue bar 31.7 Reb