Sporting an arsenal of scorers, DePaul will take on San Francisco on Sunday afternoon for third place in the Cactus Division of the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off Tournament in Glendale, Ariz.
Both teams will be facing quick turnarounds.
The Blue Demons (1-3) lost 73-68 to South Carolina on Friday after trailing for the entirety but nearly rallying in the second half.
Prior to that, San Francisco (2-2) fell to Grand Canyon 76-72 for its second straight loss. Marcus Williams led the Dons with 20 points and Jonathan Mogbo added 17 points and four steals.
“We have to be a little bit sharper,” San Francisco coach Chris Gerlufsen said. “It has to mean a little bit more in those key moments where you’ve got to squeeze the ball. You’ve got to take care of the ball. But, we’re close. We’re going to continue to chop wood and turn the page quickly and get ready for Sunday.”
The Dons had won their initial two contests, a 128-59 over Bethesda and 84-52 against Saint Francis (Pa.).
As of Saturday, San Francisco’s Jonathan Mogbo ranks fifth in the country by hitting 79.4 percent of his shots. He is leading the team with 15 points per game.
Chico Carter Jr. paced DePaul with 24 points on Friday and has put up 14.5 per game. He’s one of five Blue Demons players averaging in double figures, joined by Jeremiah Oden (12.3), Elijah Fisher (10.8), and Caleb Murphy and K.T. Raimey (10 each).
Raimey has been accurate from deep, hitting 50 percent (11 of 22) of his 3-point attempts.
This meeting will be the seventh all-time between the two programs. San Francisco has won four of the previous six.
–Field Level Media