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Stadium:
Allstate Arena
The facility, originally named the Rosemont Horizon, was intended to be the home of the WHA Chicago Cougars, but the franchise folded in 1975. The Village of Rosemont issued $19 million in bonds to finance the cost of the arena with exclusive contracts with Araserv, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and MFG International. On August 13, 1979, the uncompleted roof of the Rosemont Horizon collapsed, killing five construction workers and injuring 16 others. The roof, a wooden structure to insulate against noise from nearby O'Hare International Airport, was not properly constructed, and as the final beams were being put into place, a strong breeze blew the entire structure down. Over 53 percent of the required connection bolts were missing from the building's roof. 944 girder bolts required for the connections had already been installed, though only 444 were in place; of these, 338 had no nuts. However, the primary cause of the collapse was the fact that the roof construction was behind schedule, causing the 300'+ roof girders to have no lateral stability. Estimated damages caused by the collapse was $3 million. The roof was later rebuilt to specifications by a different contractor, and the arena was completed.

Team History:
DePaul competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big East Conference. The school mascot is the Blue Demon. The school is well known for its basketball program which gained prominence under Ray Meyer who led the team to the NCAA Division I basketball Final Four in the 1978-1979 season. The school's only national championship came in 1945 after winning the NIT tournament. The current men's basketball coach is Jerry Wainwright. In Wainright's first season, the team fell to Old Dominion on December 17, 2005 by a score of 87-43 after beating No. 16 Wake Forest 84-81. It was the worst defeat in the school's history. On March 2, 2006, DePaul beat future Big East Champion, Syracuse, 108-69.

Season Preview:
DePaul's Wilson Chandler is in the NBA draft to stay because he's going to sign with an agent. So, you might wonder, why? Well, the sophomore obviously feels he is ready for the NBA after averaging 14.6 points and 6.9 boards as a second-team All-Big East player for the DePaul Blue Demons. Chandler said all the right things Thursday -- that he gave his future careful consideration, saying that he talked to DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright and thought about what was best for his family. But after two years, he has done enough.

Official Site:
www.depaul.edu/