DePaul's second season at Wintrust Arena opens Wednesday night against Bethune-Cookman. The game is the first meeting between the two programs.

The Blue Demons defeated Rockhurst, 72-65, on Nov. 1 in the lone exhibition game of the presason. DePaul led by 11 points with just under five minutes to go as Eli Cain scored a game-high 19 points. Paul Reed added a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Blue Demons.

scored a game-high 19 points. added a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Blue Demons. Senior guard Max Strus was named second team preseason All-BIG EAST in a vote of the league's head coaches. He was one of 10 players named to the first and second teams.

was named second team preseason All-BIG EAST in a vote of the league's head coaches. He was one of 10 players named to the first and second teams. The DePaul roster features nine newcomers including two graduate transfers, one now-eligible transfer, five freshmen and a transfer sitting out this season.

Two starters return among the nine players back from a year ago. Overall, the Blue Demons return just under 50 percent of the scoring and and rebounding from last season.

DePaul is playing its second season at Wintrust Arena in Chicago's South Loop. The award-winning facility features 10,387 seats including 22 suites and 479 premium club seats. The state-of-art facility also holds NBA-level locker rooms and training facilities for the DePaul men's and women's basketball programs.

Head coach Dave Leitao begins his fourth season of his second stint at DePaul. He led the program from 2002-05 before returning in March 2015.

CHICAGO – DePaul opens the 2018-19 season and the second year of the Wintrust Arena era on Wednesday night against Bethune-Cookman. The Blue Demons and Wildcats are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start at Wintrust Arena.Wednesday's game will be televised on FS1 with Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Stephen Howard (analyst) handling the television duties. The game can also be seen online and on mobile devices with FOX Sports Go. DePaul's radio tandem of Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Dave Corzine (analyst) can be heard on WYLL 1160 AM as well as online on DePaul All-Access at www.depaulbluedemons.com. Live stats can also be found at www.depaulbluedemons.com while in-game scoring updates and notes can be followed on Twitter at @DePaulHoops.Bethune-Cookman was selected as the preseason favorite in the MEAC after posting an 18-14 record overall and 12-4 conference record last season. DePaul head coachbegins his seventh season at DePaul and his fourth since returning to the program after leading the Blue Demons three postseasons in three years from 2002-05. Overall, the 2017-18 campaign is Leitao's 13th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Bethune-Cookman is led by Ryan Ridder who starts his second season leading the Wildcats.DePaul is 82-13 all-time in the first game of the season following last season's 72-58 loss against No. 14/14 Notre Dame... Wednesday's game is the start of the 96th recognized season of DePaul basketball (since 1923-24). DePaul competed in basketball prior to the 1923-24 season, but season records and results are incomplete... DePaul won nine straight season openers prior to last season's defeat in the first game.DePaul is 87-8 all-time in the first home game of the season... the Blue Demons won 11 straight before the loss to Notre Dame last November... DePaul has posted opening wins in 50 of the last 53 home openers... prior to the start of last season, he last loss in the home-opening game of the season was a 75-60 defeat against Bradley on Nov. 19, 2005.DePaul seniorwas named second team preseason All-BIG EAST as the league convened at Madison Square Garden for its annual media day on Oct. 25. A total of 10 players were selected to the preseason first and second teams.Shamorie Ponds from St. John's was the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and the league's Preseason Freshmen of the Year were David Duke of Providence and Jahvon Quinerly from Villanova.The preseason first team All-BIG EAST selections included Butler's Kamar Baldwin, Georgetown's Jessie Govan, Markus Howard of Marquette, Alpha Diallo from Providence and Villanova's Eric Paschall. Strus was joined on the second team by Sam Hauser from Marquette, Justin Simon of St. John's, Seton Hall's Myles Powell and Villanova's Phil Booth. Martin Krampelj from Creighton and Xavier's Naji Marshall picked up honorable mention honors.The men's basketball program is 1,448-1,006 (.590) all-time... the Blue Demons have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 770 straight games... DePaul's last game without a three was over 25 years ago on Feb. 16, 1993 against UAB at Allstate Arena... the current streak started against Notre Dame on Feb. 21, 1993... DePaul played every home game under the same roof in 2017-18 for the first time since the 2009-10 season... over the last eight seasons (since start of 2010-11 season), DePaul is 17-5 against Chicagoland opponents (Chicago State, UIC, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Northwestern)... in the last 18 seasons (since the start of 2000-01 season), the record against locals is 31-11... the Blue Demons will play three local opponents in 2018-19 marking the seventh time in the last nine seasons with three locals on the schedule.The new home of DePaul basketball opened its doors in the 2017-18 in Chicago's McCormick Square neighborhood. The 10,387-seat facility near McCormick Place in the South Loop area of the city is a joint project between the City of Chicago, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, and DePaul University. It features state-of-art amenities for the DePaul men's and women's basketball programs as well as fans in attendance with over 400 club seats and 22 suites.The arena was honored with the prestigious American Architecture Award that also included U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. In December 2017, the facility hosted both the No. 1-ranked women's and men's teams in the country as the Connecticut women visited Wintrust Arena on Dec. 8 followed by the Villanova men's team on Dec. 27. Upcoming major basketball events at the facility include the 2019 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament, the 2019 NCAA Women's Basketball Regional and when the 2020 NBA All-Star Game visits Chicago, Wintrust Arena will host the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game along with practices for the Rising Stars and All-Star Game squads.