GAME NOTES: The DePaul Blue Demons try to put an end to a three-game slide on Monday, as they clash with the Colorado Buffaloes in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Since opening the 2014-15 season with six wins in seven tries, the Blue Demons have hit the skids and have not come out on top in more than two weeks. Last Thursday night, DePaul paid a visit to Oregon State and was turned away in a lopsided 90-59 final.

As for the Buffaloes, they are currently three games over .500 after winning five of their first six outings. The team recently put an end to a brief two- game slide by topping in-state rival Northern Colorado at home on Dec. 13 by a score of 93-68.

This is just the second meeting between these two teams, the first resulting in a 51-37 win for the Buffs in the 1940 NIT.

The winner of this meeting will go up against the survivor of the Ohio/George Washington contest in the semifinals on Tuesday, the losers squaring off as well.

The Blue Demons were no match for Oregon State last week as the Beavers shot not only 54.5 percent from the floor and 7-of-16 behind the 3-point line, but also knocked down all but three of their 26 chances at the free-throw line in order to bury visiting DePaul. Jamee Crockett emerged as the only double-digit scorer for the Blue Demons, who shot only 34.0 percent from the field and 5- of-25 beyond the arc, with his 14 points.

Myke Henry, who scored nine points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field against Oregon State, leads the team in scoring with 16.2 ppg. He has knocked down 54.7 percent of his field goal tries and is also responsible for 6.2 rpg, which is second on the team behind Tommy Hamilton (12.9 ppg) who is responsible for 7.3 rpg. Crockett checks in with 13.4 ppg as he too shoots well over 50 percent (.561) from the field for a squad generating 75.7 ppg.

Against Northern Colorado, the Buffs put five players in double figures as Josh Scott tallied 21 points, to go along with eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Askia Booker accounted for 20 points, Xavier Johnson 16, Wesley Gordon 13 points and Jaron Hopkins 10 to go along with five rebounds and five assists off the bench for a squad that knocked down 63.3 percent from the field and an even more impressive 12-of-18 (.667) behind the 3-point line.

Scott, a 55.8 percent shooter from the floor this season, is putting up a team-best 15.4 ppg for Colorado. But more than that, Scott is also first on the unit with 8.4 rpg and has 18 of its 44 blocked shots, all while showing great touch at the free-throw line where he has missed only five of his 57 chances (.912). Booker and Johnson check in with 14.0 and 13.1 ppg, respectively, for a program that is outscoring the competition by 9.1 ppg currently.

This lengthy road trip will be trying on the Blue Demons, especially if the main scoring threats don't step up and make themselves available. Clearly the Buffaloes are capable of sharing the wealth on offense and that should be more than enough to carry them into the next round.