Recap: DePaul beats Chicago State

Tommy Hamilton is really good

I've said many times this season that it's been the tale of two players (Good Tommy and Bad Tommy) when it comes to Hamilton. That may still be true, but we saw the best game of Hamilton's entire collegiate career on Thursday night. 25 points on 7-7 shooting from the field and 9-12 from the line. He tacked on eight rebounds to go along with that scoring outburst. Sure, it's Chicago State, but that's still a great outing no matter who you face.

When four players score in double digits, you have a good shot at winning basketball games

Novel concept, right? If you score in bunches, you'll win. DePaul had four players in double figures (Hamilton, Myke Henry, Billy Garrett, and Aaron Simpson), and that's something they'll need to continue as they get into games in which they face better opponents. If your first (and even second) scoring option gets locked up, it's nice to have that depth of other players who can also put the ball in the hoop.

This team might be better than expected

Sure, it's Chicago State. I get it. But you are what your record says you are. The Blue Demons are 5-1, with their only loss being a horrific home loss to Lehigh. They've beat a very good Pac-12 team in Stanford, and are off to their best start under Oliver Purnell. I'm not going to say they're going to make the Tournament this year, that'd be ridiculous. But it's nice to see DePaul actually playing competently. The fans deserve it, it's been a long time since it's happened.