DePaul’s men’s basketball team had hung 97 points on Coppin State, 99 on Central Michigan and 101 on Eastern Michigan and, most encouraging of all, outfought Rutgers from the Big Ten over 40 intense minutes of brawlball. Hot dang, the Blue Demons were 6-0 — praises for old DePaul U. — with Loyola coming in for a visit to Wintrust Arena.
It was early December of 2021, and coach Tony Stubblefield’s debut season was off to a bang-up start.
Yada yada … here we are.
The Blue Demons lost that game to Loyola and have dropped 47 of their last 68 in all, right up to an ugly 56-46 outing against Northwestern on Saturday in which they made one field goal over the final 13:12 of the game.
They are 2-8 in Stubblefield’s third season. Yet another bleak experience in the nether reaches of the Big East almost certainly awaits them. As for Stubblefield, one betting site has installed him as the second-likeliest coach in the country — at +450 odds — to be the next one fired. Perhaps only Louisville’s Kenny Payne, who has very close ties to DePaul athletic director DeWayne Peevy, is on a hotter seat.
The brickfest against Northwestern couldn’t have helped. After it was over, Stubblefield was asked to describe his morale.
“It’s challenging, you know?” he said. “It is what it is. I’ve never been in this situation as a coach. I want to do it for these guys in the locker room, so my morale is I’ve got to keep fighting. I’m the one that’s got to stay positive. I’m the leader of this. And we will figure it out.”
As Peevy surveys the scene, DePaul’s players must try to keep their own morale from cracking. That’s an all-too-familiar-theme in Lincoln Park. Transfers Jeremiah Oden, from Wyoming, and Elijah Fisher, from Texas Tech, say they aren’t having second thoughts about what — or whom — they signed up for.
“Coach has been great to play for,” Oden said. “I want to give credit to him. He’s doing a great job of keeping his poise and keeping us positive.”
“He’s giving us motivation to keep on fighting every day,” Fisher said. “He’s giving us something to do the next day to keep our heads up. … I feel like he’s just a great coach. Right now, it doesn’t show up, but in the future it will.”
If there is a future for Stubblefield at DePaul.
“We’ll get there,” Stubblefield said, “but, obviously, it is challenging. I could’ve never envisioned the situation that we’re in right now.” …
Eight three-and-outs. Absurd difficulty punching in a touchdown on a possession that started at the other team’s 1-yard line. Failing repeatedly to convert in short yardage to help ice the game. Blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.
What are we doing here? After the Bears’ shameful 20-17 loss in Cleveland, are we really still debating what, if any, major changes they should make?
New head coach. New offensive coordinator. New quarterback. Has anybody heard if there might be a halfway decent QB available with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft? By all means, spread the word if you do. …
On the other hand, the Bears clearly have one of the better defenses in all of football. Unfortunately, their offense is so shaky, it’s practically a given Alabama will jump them in the playoff committee’s next rankings. …
Major League Baseball announced its All-MLB Team over the weekend, honoring six Rangers and five Braves as first- or second-teamers. Alas, no Chicago player made either team. We know what you’re thinking, and, yes, Tim Anderson and Trey Mancini were robbed. …
From Evanston Township High School to Southern Illinois to Purdue — quite a ride for guard Lance Jones, who had an absolutely unforgettable Saturday. Jones drilled a huge 3-pointer and came back with a last-minute and-one as the Boilermakers toppled No. 1 Arizona 92-84 in Indianapolis. The Boilers likely will take over the No. 1 spot when the new poll comes out Monday. …
There was no Stagg party in the end for North Central College’s football team, which lost 38-37 to SUNY-Cortland in the Division III championship game in Salem, Virginia. Each team entered the 50th Stagg Bowl at 14-0, with coach Brad Spencer’s squad from Naperville going for a repeat. North Central scored on a 60-yard pass from Luke Lehnen to DeAngelo Hardy with 1:20 left, and Spencer elected to go for two. No dice.
“That’s just who we are,” Spencer said. “You want to go down swinging.”
We’ll tip our helmets to that. …
It’s almost impossible to wrap the brain around what happened Saturday in the New Orleans Bowl, where Louisiana won the turnover battle 4-0 and scored not one, not two but three defensive touchdowns but somehow still managed to lose by a field goal to Jacksonville State. And the craziest thing of all? Luke Getsy isn’t even Louisiana’s OC.
