Chicago ? They resemble confused souls wandering through a wasteland. They have lost 10 of their last 12 games and, with a 9-13 record, appear to want nothing more than to be done with it.

Their coach, Pat Kennedy, has missed four games with a bad back and is the object of speculation as he tries to make it through the season before undergoing surgery. One reserve has left the team, and four starters have missed at least one game while suspended for academic failings.

Their home court, Allstate Arena, is miles from their Lincoln Park campus and is empty when they play there.

Just two winters ago, when Quentin Richardson was leading them to the NCAA tournament, the DePaul Blue Demons were the hottest product on the shelves. Now they’re in danger of failing to qualify for the Conference USA tournament.

About 50 fans in the announced crowd of 4,651 walked out in protest before halftime of Saturday’s 62-51 victory over East Carolina, raising more questions about Kennedy’s future, no matter that he has a contract through the 2006-07 season.

There also are questions about the future of sophomore point guard Imari Sawyer, who has been suspended three times this season.

There are questions, finally, about opportunity lost, and whether the Blue Demons can ever again be the hot product they were so recently.

Athletics director Bill Bradshaw is quick to add that DePaul is far from alone in its struggles this season.

“I don’t think the people at Purdue or Michigan State or North Carolina say we had it, we lost it, we won’t get it back,” he said. “That thinking’s too fast food, especially when you consider where we were five years ago.”

Kennedy succeeded Joey Meyer, who was dismissed after going 14-41 in the final two seasons of an otherwise successful 13-year run amid complaints he had lost touch with the Chicago area, which had been the lifeblood of DePaul’s recruiting in the days of Dave Corzine, Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings.

The clumsy handling of Meyer’s dismissal infuriated many of those loyal to his father, Ray Meyer, DePaul’s coach for 42 years. That segment of the DePaul community still regards Kennedy and Bradshaw as outsiders, and recent struggles haven’t helped.

After DePaul’s NCAA tournament season, which featured a 21-12 record and a first-round loss to Kansas, Richardson and Paul McPherson departed early for the NBA. They were followed at the end of last season by junior Bobby Simmons and sophomore Steven Hunter. That left this season’s Blue Demons with only one senior, forward Lance Williams.