DePaul Blue Demons

From Hoopedia

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest who valued philanthropy, Saint Vincent de Paul. The student body consists of about 24,000 students (approximately 15,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate). DePaul is the largest Catholic university and one of the ten largest private universities in the USA; it is the largest private university in Illinois.

DePaul competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big East Conference. The school mascot is the Blue Demon. School colors are royal blue, scarlet and black.

Perennial rivals include Marquette University, Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame.

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Men's Basketball

1945 NIT champions, led by center George Mikan and coach Ray Meyer.

The school is well known for its basketball program which gained prominence under Ray Meyer who led the team to the NCAA Division I basketball Final Four in the 1978-1979 season. The school's only national championship came in 1945 after winning the NIT. The current men's basketball coach is Jerry Wainwright. In Wainright's first season, the team beat No. 16 Wake Forest, 84-81. On March 2, 2006, DePaul beat future Big East Champion, Syracuse, 108-69.

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