Just think “Groundhog Day.”
This relentless story line just keeps repeating itself over and over for DePaul. Is this what Bill Murray woke up to? After Cincinnati’s 83-54 thrashing Thursday on the opening night of the Conference USA season at Shoemaker Arena, the Blue Demons have not won in their last 13 games at the Bearcats’ home.
The losing streak dates back to 1992 and is painfully reminiscent of a similar 25-point loss in the Blue Demons’ first league road game at Shoemaker last season. The No. 23 Bearcats never trailed Thursday and erupted for an 18-point lead halfway through the first half. By then, DePaul coach Dave Leitao knew the outcome.
“It was obvious for all intents and purposes this game was decided at the start,” he said. “I looked up and they had 22 points with not a whole lot of resistance. It set a bad tone and it continued [for] 40 minutes.”
If DePaul’s trips to Cincinnati have been a recurring nightmare, this game might have been a low point. The Blue Demons (8-4, 0-1 in C-USA) put up the ugliest numbers this side of the Bears offense.
DePaul shot 30.3 percent from the floor after being in the 20s most of the night, made only 4 of 23 three-point attempts, was outrebounded 47-35 and completed only four assists while committing 16 turnovers.
Just a glance at the DePaul bench while the game was unfolding showed an array of faces that could have been a mime convention given the different ways the expressions told of anguish and dismay.
“It was painful for everybody how we came out,” said DePaul’s star forward Quemont Greer, whose school-record seven-game streak of 20-plus point performances ended with 12 points. “They destroyed us on both ends of the (floor).”
Not even Greer, who struggled to a 4-for-13 shooting performance, could rescue DePaul.
The Bearcats (12-1, 1-0), winning their 10th straight league opener in C-USA’s 10-year history, were coming off a New Year’s Eve 22-point loss to No. 1-ranked Illinois, but they shrugged off that misstep.
“We knew we were going to come out with a lot of intensity after a loss and it being a conference game,” Cincinnati junior forward Armein Kirkland said.
Kirkland did, scoring 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting and earning praise from Leitao as being greatly improved and perhaps one of the best players in the nation.
Cincinnati, which also had double-figure scoring from point guard Jihad Muhammad (16) and forward James White (10), shot 50.8 percent and made 15 of 19 free throws as it kept the Blue Demons woozy for the duration.
Leitao used a boxing analogy, noting when Cincinnati “threw the first punch, we didn’t think of throwing one back.”
Clearly disturbed, Leitao said, “You can’t even cross halfcourt and come up with four assists and call it a performance.”
The one thing the discouraged Blue Demons took heart in is how they bounced back from last year’s 90-65 loss to the Bearcats. They bested Cincinnati 68-65 back home.
“You can never anticipate a loss like that,” senior Demons guard LeVar Seals said of Thursday’s result. “It can be different (Feb. 12 at Allstate Arena). Like last year.”
