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The DePaul Blue Demons basketball program ranks No. 45 in ESPN's countdown of the top 50 programs of the last 50 seasons. ESPN developed a point system in an effort to quantify success in college basketball during that time span, and DePaul's ranking was hurt quite a bit by their struggles over the last two decades or so.
Positives: Made 1979 Final Four; eighth most points from 1973 to 1982; three first-team consensus All-Americans and three top-10 picks.
Negatives: Lost eight points due to sanctions and vacated wins; hasn't gained points in any season since 2005, just two NCAA tournament appearances in the past 20 seasons.
DePaul's best decade was the 1980s; the Blue Demons scored 113 points during that decade, which is the 10th-highest total for that time period.
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