DEPAUL SUFFERS EMBARRASSING HOME LOSE

Somehow, Jerry Wainwright survived an 0-18 conference record last season at DePaul. However, last night's loss to lowly American might have topped that embarrasing mark.

According to realtimeRPI.com, American University entered last night's match-up with the Blue Demons with the 339th best RPI of the 347 Division I basketball teams. Their lone win came against 1-8 Howard. Well, now they have two wins as American Surprises DePaul, 62-57 (Washington Post) at Allstate Arena.

Nick Hendra hit a go-ahead 3-pointer, and Vlad Moldoveanu, in his first game being eligible after transferring from George Mason midseason a year ago, scored 26 points in his season debut off the bench as American upset DePaul.

A three-pointer by Will Walker with 2:49 left game the Blue Demons a 57-56 lead as DePaul trailed by as much as 10 in the first half. It was their last points of the contest and Hendra answered with a three of his own as the Late Shot Helps American Stun DePaul (Daily Herald) in front of a meager 1,500 fans.

Moldoveanu looked like a star in his first game this season after averaging just 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds at George Mason last season before transferring. With Mac Koshwal or without, this is a game Jerry Wainwright's team had to have, but when your down four in the last half minute and you resport to running a play for walk-on transfer Jimmy Drew after a time out, things are bad. Drew, who came over from Southeast Missouri State, was just cleared days earlier by the NCAA and was taking the biggest shot of the game for the Blue Demons just days later. Ouch!

DePaul was out-rebounded in the game by a margin of 39-27.

Devin Hill scored 16 to lead the Blue Demons and Walker added 13. The loss drops their record to 6-4 ahead of their home date with Texas State this Saturday. DePaul finishes their pre-conference slate with a road game at Florida Gulf Coast on 12/22 and then opens Big East play at Pittsburgh on Monday December 28th.

Let the coaching rumors ensue as even the Chicago media just isn't in it any more as Lindsey Willhite of the Chicago Daily Herald sais that I'd Like to Blog About DePaul, but....