DePaul Basketball: Key 2020 offseason storylines for Blue Demons

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 04: Romeo Weems #1 and Paul Reed #4 of the DePaul Blue Demons react after their defensive stop in overtime of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Wintrust Arena on December 04, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 04: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

3. Is the pressure building on Dave Leitao?

Earlier this offseason, head coach Dave Leitao agreed to a multi-year contract extension through the end of the 2023-24 season. However as I alluded to before, Leitao’s team struggled in close games in Big East play last year and he was widely blamed.

Leitao took the Blue Demons to their last NCAA tournament in 2004 when they were in Conference USA, but his time in Chicago has been different the second time around. He returned in 2015-16 and had three consecutive seasons with 11 wins or less, but finally broke the .500 mark with a 19-17 season last year (though a 4-2 record in the CBI may have inflated his record a bit).

The downturn this year was shocking as the Blue Demons regressed in wins, winning percentage and conference wins, despite having expectations to compete for an NIT spot at the very least. Leitao does have a history of regressing too as he ended his spells at Northeastern in the 1990s and Virginia in the mid-2000s with at least seven fewer wins than the year before.

The past numbers clearly don’t help Leitao, and he only has so much “good credit” remaining from his time with Depaul in the early 2000s. If he can’t show improvement with the Blue Demons this season, DePaul fans may be calling for a new coach again. And for Leitao, that starts with being able to improve in Big East play.

So, what do I think the floor and ceiling are for the Blue Demons next season?

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