The Blue Demons ace a big test: 3 takeaways from DePaul basketball's rout of Northwestern

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The Details

DePaul and Northwestern played in a basketball game on Nov. 13.

The Blue Demons put played the Wildcats and won 67-47.

Here's what we learned from the game.

There was a moment where Northwestern found a glimmer. DePaul basketball snuffed it out quickly after.

That was a theme all night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, where the Blue Demons raced to a 67-47 win over the Wildcats on Friday night.

Here are three takeaways from DePaul’s rout of Northwestern in Evanston.

DePaul is a team on the rise

Eyes have always been on DePaul basketball since the day Chris Holtmann was hired in Lincoln Park.

Holtmann joined the Demons in 2024, he won 14 games in Year 1 and went .500 in Year 2. The expectation was he’d have the Blue Demons in a position to be over .500 in Year 3.

Winning at Northwestern is a good start. The Demons had only beaten Northwestern twice before Friday night, with the last win over NU coming on December 21, 2019.

DePaul is now 4-0. — The Demons outpaced Northwestern and out-shot the ‘Cats. They were fast and didn’t NU a chance to breathe. They outscored Northwestern 16-5 to start the second half.

A Kruz McClure 3-pointer put DePaul up 57-41 with five minutes to go in the game. It felt over from there.

Holtmann has what he wants at DePaul now. He’s passing tests in Year 3 that he hadn’t in Years 1 and 2.

What comes next is a new set of challenges. Purdue looms on Nov. 24. SMU comes after that on Dec. 5. Saint Louis is after that on Dec. 12.

DePaul won’t ace all those exams, but they’ll be ready. Holtmann has a team built from the outside in with guards McClure, Koree Cotton and Layden Blocker.

Time will tell how far DePaul goes in Year 3, but there’s life in Lincoln Park.

Kruz McClure is one of the best players in the state When Holtmann recruited Kruz McClure to Lincoln Park, he spoke of a player with potential.

That potential shined against Northwestern. He scored a game-high 18 points and showcased the ability to run an offense with a combination of shot-making ability, length and ball awareness.

He was the best player on the court in the win over Northwestern.

McClure’s ability to drive and use his length to create separation was always there, but he’s doing it with clear confidence now.

Northwestern needs to find an identity

Last season, for better or worse, Northwestern was a team that went through Nick Martinelli. The ‘Cats lived with what Martinelli would give them.

Before that, it was Boo Buie.

Now? It’s not clear. — Northwestern’s mass exodus of their talented freshman class of 2025 left just point guard Jake West. The incoming class of transfers hasn’t moved the needle, and transfer teams take time to gel.

There’s no real identity for Northwestern four games into this season. West is an improved player. But, hero ball from him can only take Northwestern so far.

Jayden Hodge is the best recruit in program history, and he has yet to play a minute for NU as he recovers from a torn ACL. Jack Karasinki was a ball-dominant scorer at Bellarmine, but Bellarmine is a long way from the Big Ten.

West cut the DePaul lead to 11 and there was a glimmer. But, DePaul just snuffed out that life quickly with a few well-timed 3-pointers.

There are some pieces. West is a stellar player and a point guard Chris Collins loves. Hodge provides potential when he plays. There’s basketball experience on the roster.

There’s no real identity in Evanston until Collins puts it together.

The Source

Analysis is from FOX Chicago's Chris Kwiecinski, who covered NU vs. DePaul.