Bethune-Cookman @ DePaul preview

After briefly flirting with the NBA draft, Max Strus is back to try to lead DePaul out of the doldrums beginning with Wednesday's non-conference game against visiting Bethune-Cookman. Strus enjoyed a solid first season in Division I but is now looking for more from himself and the Blue Demons, who will likely have their hands full with the Wildcats.

"I just really want to put DePaul back on the map," the 6-6 senior guard from Hickory Hills, Ill., told the media. "When people talk about DePaul basketball, it's a negative right now. I don't want to hear that anymore." Strus, a former Division II All-American at Lewis University, averaged 16.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists but struggled with his shooting at times as the Blue Demons suffered through an 11th straight losing season. The preseason All-Big East second team selection made 81 3-pointers last season, the second most in school history, but was far more effective on two-point attempts. Ryan Ridder's first season as the coach of the Wildcats, who were picked to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, was an unqualified success as he orchestrated an eight-win improvement from the prior season.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT BETHUNE-COOKMAN (2017-18: 18-14): Despite losing leading scorer Brandon Tabb, the Wildcats are well positioned to make a run at a second straight MEAC regular season title behind the trio of Shawntrez Davis, Soufiyane Diakite and Isaiah Bailey. Diakite, the reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, led the conference with 9.8 rebounds per game and recorded 11 double-doubles while fellow preseason All-MEAC first-team honoree Davis averaged 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds as a junior. Bailey, a senior guard, was second on the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game and led the Wildcats in assists with 4.8 per contest.

ABOUT DEPAUL (2017-18: 11-20): Dave Leitao lost a couple key players in Marin Maric and Tre'Darius McCallum, who combined to average 23.6 points and 12.4 rebounds, but the addition of transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands should help soften the blow. Coleman-Lands, a 6-4 guard, was a prolific 3-point shooter in his two seasons at Illinois, making 40.2 percent of his 393 attempts, but shot 35.7 percent from inside the arc. Eli Cain is back after averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds as a junior and Devin Gage hopes to log a full season after a ruptured Achilles tendon limited his freshman campaign to eight games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Blue Demons haven't won more than 12 games in a season since going 20-14 in 2006-07 -- their last winning campaign.

2. Diakite set a school record by shooting 57.3 percent last season and Davis wasn't far behind at 55.4 percent, including 37.7 percent from 3-point range.

3. Strus, whose 81 3-pointers were a DePaul junior class record, made 51.1 percent of his two-point attempts and 33.3 percent of his 3s.

PREDICTION: DePaul 76, Bethune-Cookman 74