Villanova Wildcats (10-2 (1-0)) vs. DePaul Blue Demons (8-5 (0-2))
Or: Finneran Pavilion (Villanova, PA)
When: Wednesday December 31 at 6:00 p.m.
Betting line: To be determined
How to watch: FS1
How to listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network
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Net Rankings: Villanova 21, DePaul 147 (Quad 3 opportunity)
KenPom: Villanova 25, DePaul 121
Torvik: Villanova 33, DePaul 125
About DePaul: The Blue Demons were picked to finish ninth in the Big East preseason poll, only ahead of Butler and Seton Hall. So far, that seems like a generous ranking. DePaul began conference play with losses to the two preseason favorites (St. John’s and Connecticut), as well as a bad home loss to Buffalo. The Blue Demons’ best wins to this point are a neutral site win over Georgia Tech and a road win at Wichita State, neither of which are currently considered for the tournament. DePaul is led by three returnees: CJ Gunn, Layden Blocker and NJ Benson. Gunn, a 6’7″ senior, is averaging 13.8 points per game on 45.1% from the field and 34.5% from three. Blocker, a 6’2″ junior, is averaging 10.9 points and 3.8 assists on 37.4% from the field and 27% from deep. Benson, a 6’8″ senior, is averaging 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds on 65.9% from the floor. He’s not a three-point shooter.
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Notes on Nova: The Wildcats are coming off a huge road win at Seton Hall, where the final score wasn’t indicative of how they controlled the game. The hope here is that there is no element of trick play. Villanova next travels to Hinkle, which has been a house of horrors in recent memory. After that, there will be a home game against Creighton. The Wildcats should be able to control this one, as DePaul is not statistically strong in any major category. The only player who will hopefully be back is Tafara Gapare, who missed the Pirates game due to personal reasons.
