DePaul Series History: DePaul is one of only two teams (Marquette is the other) U of L has faced in an overtime, double-overtime and triple-overtime game. U of L won in OT 71-69 on 2/27/63 and 85-82 on 2/28/98, lost in 2OT 90-89 on 3/17/78 and lost in 3OT 79-78 on 2/7/62.

Series History

All-Time Record: Louisville 28, DePaul 21
*NCAA Midwest Regional (Lawrence, KS)

Date: Feb. 25, 2004	Score: DePaul 60, Louisville 58 (OT)
Leading Scorers: U of L: Francisco Garcia (19) DePaul: Quemont Greer (19)
The wheels continue to fall off as the Cards drop a must-win game at home against DePaul, the first time they’ve lost to the Blue Demons in Freedom Hall since 1986. The Cards fail to score at least 60 points in regulation for the third straight game, and show complete ineptness on the offensive end, committing key turnovers in game-winning situations. The Cards show a worrisome tendency to get weak at the end of games, and to give leads away. A pre-game gimmick by Coach Pitino, in which his locker room speech was shown to the entire Freedom Hall crowd, backfired, as the Cards lacked a spark and motivation to play their best game. Now, for the first time under Pitino, U of L has lost four straight games, and six of their last seven. Worse, their inclusion in the NCAA Tournament is now very much in question. The game was lost on the boards, where the Cards were outrebounded 47-29, including 16-3 on the offensive end, and were outscored 16-1 in second-chance points. It was their worst rebounding deficit of the year, and the fourth game in a row in which the Cards were outrebounded.
The Blue Demons keyed on U of L’s perimeter players, forcing the Cards to score inside, and as a result, U of L couldn’t score from anywhere. Their lack of a real inside game is no secret, and it’s costing U of L its season. The Cards led 31-25 at halftime, and were in control when DePaul’s Andre Brown picked up his fourth foul with 16:38 left. A field goal from Larry O'Bannon with 9:35 left put the Cards up 42-38, but U of L then went six minutes without a field goal. O"Bannon ended the drought with a field goal at the 3:05 mark which gave U of L a 50-46 lead. Andre Brown caught fire late, though, scoring nine points in the game's final six minutes; he gave the Blue Demons their first lead since the 13-minute mark of the first half when he converted a three-point play to put DePaul up 53-52 with 19.8 seconds left. On U of L’s next possession, Francisco Garcia, who led the Cards with 19 points, was fouled and made both shots to give U of L the lead at 54-53 with 12.2 seconds remaining. After a DePaul timeout, the Blue Demons’ Quemont Greer missed a driving shot but was fouled by Alhaji Mohammed with 2.5 seconds left. Greer was only 2-7 from the line on the night at that point, and he missed his first shot as Freedom Hall got raucous. He made the second free throw, though, and U of L never got off a desperation shot and headed to overtime for the second straight game.
But U of L got its one and only field goal of the extra period on an Otis George dunk 12 seconds into overtime. Greer converted a three-point play, which was matched by two more free throws from Garcia. Greer, who led DePaul with 19 points, then hit a 16-footer to give DePaul the lead again. On DePaul’s next possession, Greer was fouled but missed both shots, keeping U of L to within one. But Larry O’Bannon committed a turnover, then the Blue Demons got an offensive rebound after a miss on a pressured shot. But the Cards got the ball back after a five-second violation, which was caused by good defense from Taquan Dean. When Garcia then drove the lane, he was stripped of the ball with 39 seconds left. DePaul then missed a shot, but when U of L’s Brandon Jenkins rebounded, he landed out of bounds, giving DePaul the ball back with 16.5 seconds left. DePaul’s Drake Diener then made one of two free throws to put DePaul up two. Larry O’Bannon then committed yet another turnover when he was stripped of the ball, and the game was over. It was terrible last-minute execution on U of L’s part. Garcia had five turnovers to go with his 19 points, while O’Bannon scored 12. U of L has now shot 40% or less in eight of their last nine games. DePaul won despite shooting 1-12 from three-point range and 11-25 from the line.

Date: March 5, 2003	Score: DePaul 79, Louisville 76 (OT)
Leading Scorers: U of L: Taquan Dean (16) DePaul: Sam Hoskin (21)
The Cards' end of season collapse continues, as U of L loses to DePaul for the first time in 13 games, and the first time ever as a C-USA opponent. Marvin Stone was reinstated for the game, but wasn't much of a factor as the Cards have now dropped five of their last seven contests. Much like in the loss to St. Louis earlier this season, the Cards had chances to close it out, but couldn't, and now have only one regular season game left to right their ship. U of L went to a smaller line-up, with Kendall Dartez and Otis George each getting their second starts of the season, and their ability to play a pressure defense paid early dividends. The Cards forced seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes of play, and thanks to scoring from Erik Brown, who had 15 points but was only 1-7 from three-point range, the Cards built a 20-11 lead. But DePaul started applying its own half-court defense, and the Cards made only two of their next 12 shots. The Blue Demons made seven of nine shots in a 19-4 run that gave DePaul a 30-24 lead. At the half, DePaul led 32-28.
Francisco Garcia scored eight quick points for U of L to open the second half as U of L went up 36-34. Garcia left the game early due to a groin injury, and finished with 13 points in 14 minutes of action. U of L led twice in the final 5:25, but after grabbing each lead, the Blue Demons responded with three-point plays. DePaul was up 64-62 with 1:27 left, and after a controversial foul call against DePaul, U of L regained possession and was able to tie the game on two free throws from Reece Gaines, who had 15 points and nine assists but shot only 3-13 from the field. DePaul hit on a free throw, but Taquan Dean, who led U of L with 16 points on 4-7 shooting from three-point range, hit one of those threes with 5.7 seconds left to give the Cards a two point lead. As regulation ended, DePaul's Drake Diener missed a three-point attempt; Sam Hoskin, who led DePaul with 21 points and 14 rebounds, pulled down the rebound and missed on a put-back, but after the buzzer sounded, a foul was called on U of L's Luke Whitehead. With no time remaining, Hoskin hit both foul shots to force overtime.
U of L scored five straight in overtime to take a 76-74 lead on a jumper by Erik Brown with 1:52 left, but the Cards were shut out the rest of the way. Andre Brown made one of two free throws with 56 seconds left. With 19 seconds left, DePaul's Diener hit a three-pointer to put the Blue Demons up two. Dean missed a runner in the lane, and tips by Dartez and Stone were both off the mark. The lack of an inside presence, compounded by the absence of Ellis Myles and the inability of Stone to be a force down low, worsened U of L's performance on the glass; the Cards were destroyed 48-28 on the boards, and scored only two second chance points the entire contest. U of L was again outscored from the foul line, 24-11, as DePaul pounded the ball inside whenever they needed points. Hoskin was a perfect 7-7 from the line; also pacing DePaul was Andre Brown with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Delonte Holland with 14 points and six rebounds. U of L's leading rebounder was Dartez, who grabbed eight. U of L shot 9-31 from three-point range.

Date: January 22, 2003	Score: Louisville 71, DePaul 43
Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (14) DePaul: Andre Brown (16)
Like in most U of L games so far this season, this contest was a story of two halves. DePaul had been holding C-USA opponents to only 38.5% shooting and 57 points a game, and in the first half U of L shot only 37.5%. In the second half, though, the Cards picked up their defensive pressure, held the Blue Demons themselves to only 35% shooting, and torched the nets for 61%, including making 10 of their final 11 shots. Another key difference in the game was three-point shooting; the Cards outscored DePaul 36-3 from behind the arc as DePaul was 1-9 from three-point range while U of L was 12-29. U of L was also able to force DePaul into 17 turnovers, which led to 19 Cardinal points.. The Cards were able to get an early lead in the game, as freshmen Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia contributed all of U of L's scoring in helping U of L to a 12-8 advantage. Even though DePaul went scoreless for the next six minutes, they trailed only 12-10 at the 10:24 mark. The Cards were able to open up 25-18 lead later in the half after a stretch in which they scored on five of seven possessions. Although DePaul outscored the Cards 16-8 in the paint, and had eight points off the fast break, DePaul still trailed at halftime 31-23.
U of L got three-pointers from Dean, Bryant Northern and Erik Brown to go on a 13-4 run to build a 44-27 lead to open the second half, and it was all downhill from there for U of L, despite the fact Reece Gaines sat for over eight minutes of action due to foul trouble. Brown helped pick up some slack, scoring eight second half points to finish with 10. With 8:31 remaining in the game, Northern hit a three, which was followed by a field goal from Ellis Myles. On the next inbounds play, Brown stole the ball and fed Garcia for a lay-up that pushed the Cardinal lead to 53-44. At that point Gaines returned, when he scored most of his team-high 14 points. Kendall Dartez returned to action for U of L; he played a season-high 21 minutes and had four points and six rebounds. Garcia finished with 10 points for U of L, while Dean and Northern each finished with nine. The win was U of L's 13th straight against DePaul. Andre Brown, who led all scorers with 16 points and 14 rebounds, was the only Blue Demon player in double figures, as leading scorer Sam Hoskins was held scoreless.

Date: February 12, 2002	Score: Louisville 76, DePaul 72
Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines, Simeon Naydenov (20) DePaul: Lance Williams (22)
When you've knocked off a team 11 times in a row, eventually they will get their act together and stop the pain. DePaul almost did, and would have, if they hadn't fallen behind U of L by 20 points. In fact, the number 20 was big for U of L in this game, as not only did guard Reece Gaines score that amount, but Simeon Naydenov put in a career-high 20 points as well, shooting 8-13 from the field and 4-9 from three-point range. His outside shooting, and best gave ever as a Cardinal, propelled the Cards to victory. After forward Luke Whitehead got into early foul trouble, Naydenov came into the game and quickly matched his previous career-high of 10 points. He hit two three-pointers and had a ferocious fast-break dunk (who knew?) in an 18-5 run that put the Cards in command. U of L's defense held DePaul to only four field goals in the last nine minutes of the first half, and their 47-28 halftime lead was only their second lead at the break on the road this year.
It was at the start of the second half when U of L was in the unfamiliar position of holding a lead rather than trying to chip away at one. Some effort on the boards helped DePaul make four of its first five shots of the second half, and quickly the Blue Demons had pulled to within to 48-37. After a couple of Cardinal timeouts and a three-pointer from Bryant Northern, U of L's lead stood at 51-37. Northern finished with 14 points with two assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes of play. DePaul kept coming though. Northern's shot was the first of six straight that the Cards made, which helped them offset some three-pointers from DePaul and to keep the margin at 63-46. Back-to-back jumpers from Andre Brown and Lance Williams pulled DePaul within 13 and forced another Cardinal timeout. After Naydenov made two straight shots to give the Cardinals a 68-55 lead at the 6:28 mark, things looked good, and Reece Gaines got some rest, and DePaul got some momentum. DePaul scored the next nine points on a three-pointer and three straight inside shots, and just like that the Cards' lead was down to 68-64. The Cards used their final tiemout, put Gaines back in, and used an Erik Brown three-pointer to stay ahead at 70-66.
With U of L up 73-70, DePaul's Drake Diener was fouled on a three-point attempt, and made two of the foul shots to pull the Blue Demons to within one at 73-72. The Cards, who have struggled in some late game situations over the course of this season, were able to convert and execute this time. Ellis Myles went to the line with U of L up 73-72 with 1:12 left, but missed both shots. DePaul missed a chance to take the lead as inside shots by Andre Brown and Quemnot Greer were uncharacteristically off the mark. Gaines pulled down the rebound, was fouled, and made both shots to put U of L up 75-72 with 21.9 seconds left. Greer missed a three with four seconds left, Myles pulled down the rebound, and made one of two foul shots to seal the game for U of L. Whew. DePaul was able to make the game close by making three-pointers (6-18 for the game) and killing U of L on the boards. The Blue Demons had a 46-30 edge on the glass. DePaul was paced by Lance Williams, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Andre Brown had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Diener finished with 17 points on 5-7 shooting from behind the arc.

Date: January 26, 2002	Score: Louisville 97, DePaul 67
Leading Scorers: U of L: Erik Brown (17) DePaul: Andre Brown (18)
The Cards end their three-game losing streak, and continue their domination of DePaul -- the Cards have now won 11 in a row over the Blue Demons -- by bucking a trend that has cost them in some games this season. The Cards opened the game on fire, and then never let up in racking up a season-high 97 points. How dominant were the Cards in the early going? U of L had a double-digit lead after only three minutes, and by the second TV timeout were shooting over 70% from the field and had used nine players to build a 26-10 lead. With 6:40 left in the first half, the Cards held a 32-12 lead, and DePaul trailed by at least 20 points for the rest of the game. Leading the charge for U of L, at the beginning of the game, was guard Alhaji Mohammed, who hit two three-pointers and another field goal to give the Cards an 8-0 lead. (Those were Mohammed's only points of the game.)
Shooting really was the name of the game in this contest. DePaul, which was coming off an 80-58 shelacking at East Carolina (which beat U of L by 10 a few weeks ago) made only 1-20 three-point attempts, and that one came with only 1.2 seconds left in the game. DePaul was also a woeful 16-30 from the line. Meanwhile, the Cards shot nearly 45% from the field, including 11-32 from three-point range. Guard Larry O'Bannon, who finished with 14 points for the Cards, was 4-6 from behind the arc. Erik Brown unseated Reece Gaines as the Cards leading scorer in this game; Brown's 17 points came on 6-8 shooting (including 2-2 from three-point range) with five rebounds and three steals thrown in for good measure. Gaines finished with 16 points and matched a season-high with six assists, but struggled from the field (4-13) and committed five turnovers. Luke Whitehead had 12 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Ellis Myles had nine points and 13 rebounds, and would be averaging in double-figures in points and rebounds if he improved his foul shooting. Against the Blue Demons, he was only 3-10 from the line, which was almost every miss the Cards had from the line (U of L was 24-32 on their free throws.)
At the half, the Cards led 47-22 and had 14 assists -- as many as their total in nine games this season (they finished with 24). The comfortable lead afforded Pitino to give extended time to players like Otis George, who finished with eight rebounds but was 0-4 from three-point range. Senior captain Hajj Turner saw game action for the first time in a while after the fans started chanting his name; Turner got a hoop in the final seconds to finish with two points. DePaul was paced by their frontcourt, as forward Andre Brown scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, while center Lance Williams had 17 points and 16 rebounds. A touching moment during the course of the game, outside of Turner making his shot and keeping the fans in the seats for the duration of the contest, was the introduction of the three Minardi children. Billy Minardi, Coach Pitino's best friend and brother-in-law, died in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Game Summary: DePaul	Score: Louisville 71, DePaul 62
Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin, Rashad Brooks (17) DePaul: Bobby Simmons (17)
The Cardinals rebounded from one of their worst losses in history against the one team that hasn't been able to take advantage of the Cards' struggles this year, the DePaul Blue Demons. U of L beat DePaul for the tenth straight time, outscoring the Blue Demons 19-4 in the final five minutes to pull out the victory. Rashad Brooks paced the Cards in scoring a career-high 17 points.
DePaul made four of its first six shots to take an early 8-4 lead, as U of L made only one of its first 11 shots and committed six turnovers in the next 8:46 to fall behind 18-6. Brooks came in and virtually saved U of L. His two free throws pulled U of L to within 18-10 at the 9:04 mark of the first half, then scored on a three-point play off a dunk to pull the Cards to 18-13. U of L cut the lead to one after a Reece Gaines dunk that came after a steal by Brooks. But DePaul then went on a 9-0 run that extended their lead to 27-17 with 3:13 left in the period. The Cards scored the final six points of the half to trail 31-25 at halftime.
The teams switched offensive effeciency in the second half: the Cards shot only 32% in the first period, but 60% in the second, while DePaul made 50% in the first half but only 31% in the second. After four straight points from Ellis Myles, the Cards led 43-39 with 12:20 left in the game. But a 19-9 DePaul run, in which DePaul scored on nine of 11 possessions, allowed the Blue Demons to take a 58-52 lead with 5:10 left. But then the Cards played some defense, allowing only one more field goal the rest of the way. Erik Brown, who had 10 points in the last six minutes, hit two free throws, then caused a DePaul turnover that led to a Reece Gaines three-pointer to cut the deficit to 58-57. Marques Maybin hit a jumper to pull U of L ahead, and a drive by Brown gave U of L a 61-58 lead. After a DePaul free throw, Gaines scored a huge putback off a fast break after a Brown miss that put U of L up 63-59 with 1:05 left. Brooks then got a steal and hit two free throws to give U of L a six-point lead with 42.5 seconds left. DePaul's Rashan Burno hit a three to cut U of L's lead to 65-62, but center Muhammed Lasege made two key free throws with 29 seconds left, his only points of the game, to wrap it up. Brown added an exclamation dunk for the final score.
U of L shot 18-23 from the line and outrebounded DePaul 39-35.

Game Summary: DePaul	Score: Louisville 73, DePaul 63
Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (30) DePaul: Bobby Simmons (17)
For only the second time this season, the U of L Cardinals have won back-to-back games, and for the first time this season, U of L has a winning record in conference play at 4-3. The Cards avoid a letdown after the win against Cincinnati and turn in another fine defensive and rebounding effort to beat DePaul for the ninth straight time. Guard Reece Gaines played for U of L, but only 15 minutes and contiued to be bothered by back spasms. His future status remains undetermined. The game featured U of L's best come-from-behind effort of the year, and the first time this season that the Cards were able to win a game after trailing with less than six minutes to play.
The ending belonged to the Cards, but not the beginning. DePaul opened the game by making eight of its first 11 shots and jumped to an 18-10 lead. The Blue Demons shot only 37% from the field the rest of the way, and wound up shooting 46% for the game. With three minutes left in the first half, DePaul still led by eight, but Bryant Northern, who finished with 10 points and did not miss a shot or free throw, hit a three-pointer. Eric Brown, who finished with his second-straight career-high with 20 points on 7-11 shooting from the field, a 4-4 effort from the line and eight rebounds, then hit two free throws. Marques Maybin, who tied a career-high in leading all scorers with 30 points, hit a three to tie the game with 18 seconds left in the half, but DePaul's Imari Sawyer hit a basket with two seconds left to give DePaul a 37-35 halftime lead.
Things looked bleak for U of L at the start of the second half. DePaul opened with a 10-2 run, and Gaines left the game for good at the 17:02 mark. Bobby Simmons, who led DePaul with 17 points, hit a three with 13:45 left, but the Cards held the Blue Demons without a field goal until the 6:39 mark. U of L trailed 52-51 with 7:13 left, then Maybin turned it on. He scored U of L's next 12 points, including four shots in a row, and 16 of its last 20.
Maybin hit a three at the 7:16 mark to give U of L a 54-52 lead. After DePaul regained the lead at 57-56, the Cards moved out in front 63-57 with 3:55 left. DePaul's Lance Williams hit a free throw to pull DePaul within five, but Brown scored on a drive with 1:48 left. Williams scored inside a few moments later to cut the lead to five again, but Joseph N'Sima blocked a Bobby Simmons drive with 40 seconds left. N'Sima finished with nine rebounds and four blocks in a superb defensive effort, and the Cards went 8-8 from the free throw line in the final 38 seconds to ice the game.
U of L outrebounded DePaul 31-30 and matched a season-low with only nine turnovers. U of L has now held their last four opponents to under 50% shooting, and have outrebounded their last two opponents. They scored 19 points off turnovers compared to DePaul's five, had a 16-12 edge in second-chance points and saw its bench outscore DePaul's 36-17.

Game Preview: DePaul	Date: Jan. 27, 2001
Site: Freedom Hall	Records: U of L: 7-12, 3-3, DePaul: 9-9, 1-5
The match-up vs. DePaul comes at an interesting for the Cards. Three days after their upset win at Cincinnati, and two days after a meeting between head coach Denny Crum and AD Tom Jurich about Crum's future, the Cards take on a struggling conference opponent in a game that could give U of L a winning record in conference action. But it won't be easy, for three primary reasons. First, the Cards will have to show they can handle success. The win over the Bearcats was huge, but now it's another day, and the team has to play another 40 minutes. Handling succeess has been a problem for U of L of late; they'll get tested in this realm again today.
Another important factor in the game will be the absence of guard Reece Gaines, who continues to suffer from back spasms. The Courier-Journal reported that X-rays and MRIs were negative, but that Gaines has not practiced in the last few days and is doubtful for the game. Although U of L beat UC with Gaines playing only three minutes, it is unlikely the Cards can maintain continued success without Gaines in the lineup. And speaking of lineups, one look at DePaul's will show why the Cards might have a tough time today. DePaul has a very strong frontline. 6-7 junior forward Bobby Simmons leads the Blue Demons with both 17.6 ppg and 9.4 rpg. The Blue Demons also expect the return of 6-9 Lance Williams, who averages 12.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Williams has missed the last few games due to a torn calf muscle. And to top it off, DePaul boasts 7-foot center Steven Hunter, who averages 11.6 ppg and is tied for second in C-USA in blocked shots.
There's no question that a win today will help keep U of L's momentum going, and maybe provide the foundation for a turning point in the season. But with Gaines out, and DePaul having a strong frontcourt, we are both missing our strenth and facing a team that can exploit our weakness.

Game Summary: DePaul	Score: Louisville 71, DePaul 54
Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (17) DePaul: Bobby Simmons (12)
In winning their fifth straight to improve to 16-9 and 7-5 in conference, U of L is looking as good as it has all season. The Cards have now won eight straight over the Blue Demons, and DePaul star Quentin Richardson remains winless against U of L. And once again it was Marques Maybin leading the charge for U of L. He scored 17 points in shooting 5-7 from the field and 7-10 from the line. Also for the Cards, Nate Johnson scored 15, Reece Gaines 12, Tony Williams 10 and reserve Quintin Bailey nine. For DePaul, only Bobby Simmons finished in double-figures, getting 12 points on 3-12 shooting. Star Richardson was held to only four points on a paltry 2-14 peformance from the field. U of L yet again held its opponent to under 40% shooting, with the Blue Demons clocking in at 32.%.
U of L trailed only once in the game, at 4-2, and took the lead for good on a Tony Williams three-pointer that gave U of L a 21-18 lead. DePaul was able to pull within five shortly afer halftime, during which the Cards led 38-31. U of L raced to 16-6 lead, with Nate Johnson scoring nine of those points, but DePaul rallied to tie the game at 18. The Cards then scored 11 in a row to secure their halftime lead; for the half, U of L shot 57.7%. After the Blue Demons pulled within six with about 14 minutes to play, the Cards rallied again, and pretty much wrapped up the game with a Bailey three-pointer that extended the Cards' lead to 51-40. It was U of L's fifth straight double-digit win.

Game Preview: DePaul	Date: Feb. 19, 2000
Site: Chicago, IL	Records: U of L: 15-9, 6-5, DePaul: 17-8, 7-5
The Cards can win the nightcap of a two-game road trip in Chicago, and as well secure their only season sweep of an American Division opponent. The Cards continue to have three players averaging in double-figures, though Reece Gaines is close at 9.3 ppg. Tony Williams is at 15.3, Marques Maybin is up to 14.2 and Nate Johnson has 13.0 ppg.
DePaul, on the other hand, has four players in doule-figures, led by Quentin Richardson's 17.9 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Richardson, however, is 0-3 lifetime against U of L. Bobby Simmons average 14.4 ppg for the Blue Demons, while Paul McPherson scored 10.7 ppg and Steven Hunter 10.4. DePaul has won won three of their last four games, and is coming off a 55-35 win over Marquette.

Game Summary: DePaul	Score: Louisville 72, DePaul 59
Leading Scorers: U of L: Tony Williams (18) DePaul: Bobby Simmons (18)
The Cards' magic at home continued, as U of L won its third game over a ranked opponent in Freedom Hall this year. The sluggishness of the losses against UAB and Marquette disappeared as the Cardinals performed one of their best defensive efforts of the season. Marques Maybin returned from the flu to score 17 points on 3-4 three-point shooting, while the Cards once again got a much needed lift of the bench from reserves Quintin Bailey, Kevin Smiley, Tobiah Hopper and Caleb Gervin. U of L shot a blistering 56% from the floor while limiting DePaul to only 41% shooting, including 3-14 on three-pointers.
U of L, on the other hand, shot 9-15 from behind the arc, highlighted by Maybin's 3-4 and Reece Gaines' 2-2. U of L also did a good job on Blue Demon superstar Quentin Richardson, who, although registering a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, was held seven points below his average and scored most of his points after the contest was decided. Tony Williams led the Cards with 18 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the line. Reece Gaines added 11 while Dion Edward pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Louisville was outrebounded yet again, this time 30-22. For DePaul, Bobby Simmons scored 18 points on 5-9 field goal shooting and 7-8 from the line, plus six rebounds. Nate Johnson has now scored eight or less points in four straight games.
The Cards got off to a rough start, trailing early on 10-2. But three-pointers pulled them back in the game. Trailing 19-15, Quentin Bailey scored seven points of a 13-2 run that produced a 28-21 lead with 4:14 left in the half. The Cards led at the half 34-30, at which point Richardson had only two points and Gervin, Smiley and Bailey had contributed 14 points. To start the second period, U of L went on another 13-2 run to open a 47-32 lead. DePaul responded with an 11-2 run of their own, but got no closer than 51-46 with 8:30 to play.

Game Preview: DePaul	Date: Jan. 20, 2000
Site: Freedom Hall	Records: U of L: 10-5, 2-2; DePaul: 12-4, 3-1
The Cards look to snap a two-game conference losing streak while maintaining their perfect home record against No. 23 DePaul. It is a crucial C-USA game for U of L, which desparately needs a conference win to stay in the race in the tight and difficult American Division.
DePaul has played an admirably tough schedule thus far. Their sole conference loss was at home against Marquette, though the Blue Demons won their last outing against Houston 77-68 last Sunday. Their other losses include a four-point defeat at Texas, a one-point overtime loss at Duke and a thrashing at UCLA. Not surprisingly, DePaul is led by all-conference player and All-America candidate Quentin Richardson, who in his sophomore season is averaging 19.6 points and 9.9 rebounds a game. The Blue Demons are also led by Bobby Simmons at 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds a game, while two other DePaul players, Paul McPherson and Steven Hunter, also average in double-figures in scoring. One area where U of L is in for a major test in on the glass. Against Marquette, U of L lost the game on the boards, being outrebounded 46-24. DePaul leads C-USA in rebounding with an average of 37.8 a game, while the Cards are second to last at only 33.7 a game. Keeping Richardson and Simmons in check on the boards, particularly on the offensive end, could be U of L's greatest challenge in this game.
The Cards are healthy for the DePaul game, so look for guard Marques Maybin to return to the lineup and Quentin Bailey to be at full-strength as well. Both spent last Saturday night in the hospital to faciliate their recovery from the flu. The Cards have won the last six meetings in the series, so don't be surprised if DePaul comes out fired up to end that streak in front of a national TV audience.