1983 DePaul Basketball: Retooling Between Contenders

After running with the elites of college basketball for five straight years, DePaul stepped back and retooled in 1983. A program that had reached the Final Four in 1979, and been a #1 seed in 1980, 1981 and 1982 (albeit subject to serious March disappointment), failed to make the NCAA Tournament in ’83, as veteran head coach Ray Meyer rebuilt his roster.

A LINEUP IN TRANSITION

The Blue Demons took a hit when Terry Cummings, the star of the 1982 team, left early for the NBA draft. Meyer inserted two sophomores into key roles. Tyrone Corbin stepped in at forward and averaged 11 points/8 rebounds per game. Kenny Patterson was given the keys of the offense and the point guard averaged 10 points/6 assists.

Corbin and Patterson joined senior holdover Bernard Randolph, a swingman who led the offense with 14 points per game. With this trio, the cupboard wasn’t bare in Chicago. But it was limited and in flux, with Patterson the only player to start every game. Expectations were tempered, and DePaul was unranked to start the season.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS

After a quick 2-0 start, DePaul hosted eventual Pac-10 champ UCLA and dropped a tough 73-70 decision. The Blue Demons recovered by beating NIT-bound South Florida 67-55. But in their first road game of the year, they went to Illinois State and lost 72-62. Even allowing the Redbirds would make the NCAA field this year, DePaul’s shortcomings were quickly showing up.

Three straight easy wins set up another chance against Purdue, who went on to get a 5-seed in the NCAA field. The Blue Demons hung in there at West Lafayette but lost 65-63. Then they barely survived a horrible Creighton team 68-66. Meyer’s team went into a 12-day holiday break at 7-3 and needing to find some answers. They were competitive, but uneven—good enough to stay afloat, not good enough to make a real impact.

DIGGING A HOLE

They found a spark in a home date with Pepperdine. The Green Wave, led by a future national championship coach in Jim Harrick, were NCAA Tournament-bound. DePaul won 78-73.

But that ray of hope quickly turned into a bad three-game losing streak. Gonzaga, not anywhere close to the national power they are today, came to the Rosemont Horizon and nipped the Blue Demons 49-48. A game with crosstown rival Loyola-Illinois was faster paced, but still ended in defeat, 82-76. And a visit to Louisville, on their way to the Final Four, resulted in a 63-58 loss.

DePaul was 8-6. This was an era when only 48 teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament. They were in trouble.

A MIDSEASON SPARK

A home game with Dayton, a consistently respectable program who would win 18 games, was shaping up as must-win. The Blue Demons did what they had to do and pulled it out, 56-52. They went on to beat Ivy League champ Princeton and their legendary coach Pete Carrill 51-41.

The road trip to UAB was a big one—the Blazers had reached the Elite Eight the previous March and returned to the bracket this year. DePaul went south and came home with a 56-54 win. That was followed by a narrow escape at home against mediocre St. Joseph’s and a comfortable win over a bad Detroit Mercy team.

With the five-game winning streak, the Blue Demons weren’t done yet. And they had some opportunities ahead of them.

MISSED CHANCES

DePaul paid a visit to Georgetown on the first Sunday of February to face off with sophomore center, Patrick Ewing. This season was the only time in his four years that Ewing’s Hoyas didn’t make the Final Four. But they were still a good team that ended up with a 5-seed in the NCAA bracket. The Blue Demons lost 71-65.

That was understandable, but after a win over mediocre Evansville, DePaul went on and lost at Ohio. While the Bobcats would make the NCAA field, it was only via winning their conference tournament. The 63-62 heartbreaker was not the kind of loss the Blue Demons needed at this point in the year.

And another Sunday showcase chance was missed. DePaul went to St. John’s to play the eventual 1-seed Redmen at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Demons dropped a 64-52 decision. They weren’t dead in the water, but at 14-9, there was no room for error.

THE BUBBLE BURSTS

Notre Dame, one of DePaul’s key rivals in this era of Catholic independents in the Midwest was also on the NCAA Tournament fringe. The Blue Demons got a huge 55-53 win. One week later they played their other big Catholic rival, Marquette—who was on their way to NCAA bracket–and won 64-52.

But what happened between those two games was a hard blow. DePaul paid a visit to South Carolina. The Gamecocks were a solid program that won 22 games this season. But they also didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t a game the Blue Demons could afford to lose at this point. But they did, in a 52-51 crusher.

DePaul routed Texas-Rio Grande, a bad team notable only that they were coached by a young Lon Kruger. But any hope of sneaking into the NCAA field realistically ended on the final Saturday of the season. The Blue Demons paid a visit to Dayton and lost the rematch 80-71.

The next day when the 48-team field was announced, DePaul did not hear their name called. They settled for an NIT bid.

SOME REDEMPTION IN THE NIT

With fewer teams in the NCAA Tournament, the NIT was a more prestigious prize than it is today, and this event proved to be a nice momentum-builder for Meyer’s young team.

The NIT paved DePaul’s way to get to Madison Square Garden, traditional host of the semi-finals and finals. In the 32-team field, the Blue Demons got their first three games at home. They knocked off Minnesota, who was anchored by future first-round NBA draft pick Randy Breuer at center. DePaul then beat Northwestern and Ole Miss to reach New York City.

In the NIT semis, the Blue Demons knocked off Nebraska. That set up the championship game on the final Wednesday in March. The opponent was Fresno State, a Sweet 16 team a year earlier, and one of the toughest defensive teams in the nation. DePaul lost 69-60.

The run to the NIT final didn’t erase the disappointment of missing March, but it gave a young team something to build on. In 1984, Meyer’s final season, DePaul was again back in the national elite and a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.