2013-14 record: 12-21, 3-15 Big East (10th).
Big East tournament: Lost to Creighton in quarterfinals.
NCAA: Did not appear.
Key players: Returning starter Billy Garrett Jr. was Big East rookie of the year after averaging 12.4 points last season while Tommy Hamilton IV, a 6-foot-11 inch center, averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds. Other veterans back are seniors Jamee Crockett (3.9 points) and Forrest Robinson (3.7 points) and junior Durrell McDonald (5.4 points).
The talk: The Big East underwent a major reconfiguration, but the results were the same for the Blue Demons, now 10-98 in conference play since 2008-09 and with no NCAA tournament trips since 2004. Coach Oliver Purnell got a vote of confidence from athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto for a fifth season after roster upheaval. DePaul’s biggest selling point — a new arena near McCormick Place tentatively set to open in 2017 — ideally could help recruit more elite talent.
2014-15 prediction: The Blue Demons aren’t near the class of conference favorites Villanova, Georgetown and St. John’s, and hopes for a .500 record would be a stretch after they lost Big East games by an average margin of 12 points last season. So it’s one baby step at a time. With good health and roster stability, doubling conference wins to six would be a reasonable expectation.
