Villanova Wildcats [10-2 (1-0)] vs DePaul Blue Demons [8-5 (0-2)]
Where: Finneran Pavilion (Villanova, PA)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 6:00 PM
Betting Line: TBD
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 selected to finish ninth in the Big East Preseason Poll, only ahead of Butler and Seton Hall. Thus far, that looks to be a generous ranking. DePaul has started conference play with losses to both of the Preseason favorites (St. John’s and Connecticut), as well as a bad home loss to Buffalo. The best wins for the Blue Demons to this point are a neutral-site win over Georgia Tech and a road win at Wichita State, neither of whom are in tournament consideration at this time. DePaul is led by three returnees: CJ Gunn, Layden Blocker and NJ Benson. Gunn, a 6’7” Senior, averages 13.8 points per game on 45.1% from the field and 34.5% from three. Blocker, a 6’2” Junior, averages 10.9 points and 3.8 assists on 37.4% overall and 27% from deep. Benson, a 6’8” Senior, averages 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds on 65.9% from the floor. He is not a three-point shooter.
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Notes on Nova: The Wildcats are coming off of a huge road win at Seton Hall, where the final score was not indicative of how they controlled the game. The hope here is that there’s no trap-game element. Villanova travels to Hinkle after this, which has been a house-of-horrors in recent memory. After that is a home matchup against Creighton. The Wildcats should able to control this one, as DePaul is not statistically strong in any major category. The one player who will hopefully be back is Tafara Gapare, who missed the game against the Pirates for personal reasons.
