GAME NOTES: Following a season-opening win over Illinois-Chicago, the DePaul Blue Demons will remain at home to face the Drake Bulldogs in a non-conference clash at Allstate Arena.

Drake got its season started on Saturday night at home, but fell to the Bowling Green Falcons, 77-58, in a non-conference clash. This is the first road game for the Bulldogs this season, and is part of a two-game road swing.

Illinois-Chicago suffered through a dismal campaign in 2013-14, yet DePaul could only beat the Flames on Friday night by a single point, 72-71. The Blue Demons have a stretch upcoming where they play four consecutive home contests before hitting the road in early December.

DePaul leads the all-time series with Drake, 4-2. The Blue Demons have a 3-0 advantage when playing in Chicago, while the Bulldogs own a 2-1 record in Des Moines.

Drake took a step forward in 2013-14 with Ray Giacoletti at the helm in his first season as head coach. The Bulldogs improved their win total by four games from the previous campaign, and with eight players returning from last season, the Bulldogs are hoping to keep the wins going in an upward trend. Fifth-year seniors Gary Ricks Jr. (12.3 ppg) and Karl Madison are both back to the team, but are suspended for the first three regular season contests. That puts the scoring weight on former Boston College transfer Jordan Daniels (10.2 ppg) moving forward for the next two contests.

Reed Timmer has been hot to start the season, performing well in the team's exhibition matchup and then leading the Bulldogs against Bowling Green with 16 points and six assists. He'll be a valuable member of the squad, even when Ricks and Madison are eligible to return. Jacob Enevold pitched in with 10 points against the Falcons, while Daniels scored eight. C.J. Rivers came off the bench to score six points with a team-high eight rebounds in the defeat.

Every year a team starts a season with the goal of making it to the postseason. Out loud, that is most certainly one of the goals for DePaul heading into 2014-15, but unspoken, coach Oliver Purnell should be hoping to simply not finish last in the Big East again. The Blue Demons did defeat Georgetown in the Big East Tournament last March, but it's the only time since Purnell took over the program in 2010 that the Demons have made it past the league's first round. Billy Garrett Jr. earned the 2014 Big East Rookie of the Year Award for DePaul after he was forced into the spotlight when Cleveland Melvin was suspended after 20 games.

A win is a win for DePaul, even if it was a one-point victory over the worst team in the Horizon League from a season ago. Tommy Hamilton led the Blue Demons with 17 points in the contest, adding eight rebounds to his resume. Garrett chipped in with 12 points and six assists, while Myke Henry and Forrest Robinson each contributed 11 points. DePaul held UIC to 36.8 shooting in the contest, but sent the Flames to the free-throw line 29 times in the win.

This could be a game in which DePaul comes out flat and loses, but with two of Drake's most important players still sidelined due to suspension, this is the perfect time for the Blue Demons to gain an early season advantage with another win. At home, they should be able to capture a 2-0 record.