Villanova Preview: Familiar Faces Leading the Way for DePaul

Villanova Men’s Basketball has a chance to pick up their second Big East win of the season when they host DePaul in their conference home opener, set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31.

The Wildcats (10-2, 1-0 Big East) planted their flag as an NCAA Tournament contender when they dominated Seton Hall on the road on Dec. 23: while there wasn’t an AP Poll this week as a result of the holiday break, there’s an excellent chance Villanova will land in the rankings come Jan. 5 if they continue their winning ways.

DePaul played to an 8-3 record in their out-of-conference slate, then opened Big East play with a meat grinder of a schedule against UConn and St. John’s. Villanova will continue that brutal run. The Wildcats held the No. 21 spot in the NET rankings and the No. 25 spot in the KenPom ratings as of Dec. 30; DePaul checked in at No. 147 and No. 119, respectively, making this a Quadrant 3 matchup as the Blue Demons continue their rebuild under Chris Holtmann.

Unsurprisingly, Villanova enters this matchup as a heavy favorite. FanDuel lists them at -1400 on the money line with a point spread of 13.5 and an over/under of 136.5 in another expected defensive showdown. ESPN Analytics simulations have the Wildcats successfully defending their home court in 91.2 percent of simulations.
FS1 holds the telecasting rights to this matchup.

Scouting the Blue Demons

DePaul has dealt with a series of injuries in recent games. Holtmann previewed the matchup with Villanova in a Dec. 30 press conference and said that guard Brandon Maclin (No. 5 in minutes played) is still working his way back to full health and that forward Théo Pierre-Justin (No. 8 in minutes played) will be limited if he does manage to make his way into the lineup.

The Blue Demons return a series of names that will sound familiar to Villanova fans, with guards Layden Blocker and CJ Gunn and forward Nick Benson cleaning up in most statistical categories: each of the three played for DePaul last season.

Blocker sets the pace with 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while the 6-foot-8 Benson leads the team in rebounds (6.6) and blocks (1.0). Gunn leads the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game, and Benson and Blocker (10.9 PPG apiece) are the only other Blue Demons averaging in double figures. 

DePaul struggles to make threes but also does a good job of limiting their opponents from range. Opposing teams attempt just 31.9 percent of shots from three, accounting for 21.5 percent of their total makes. Opponents are out-rebounding DePaul 34.9 to 33.4, an area Holtmann emphasized in their loss to UConn… and with Pierre-Justin limited, Villanova forward Duke Brennan could see himself cleaning up on the glass.

Scouting the Wildcats

Villanova was firing on all cylinders heading into Christmas break, finding a rhythm on both sides of the ball. Redshirt sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay is tied for third in the Big East, averaging 16.6 points per game, and all five of the Wildcats’ starters average in double digits.

Brennan, who ranks sixth in the nation with 11.4 rebounds per game also puts up 12.0 points; point guard and four-time Big East Freshman of the Week Acaden Lewis leads the team in assists (5.0) and steals (1.6) while also contributing 12.3 PPG.

Matt Hodge (10.7 PPG) and defensive stalwart Tyler Perkins (10.2 PPG) round out the starting five, while senior forward Tafara Gapare leads the team with 0.8 blocks across an average of 16.3 minutes.

Sixth man Devin Askew tacks on 8.7 PPG, a 6-foot-5 super senior who contributes on both sides of the ball. On the season, the Wildcats are taking nearly half their shots from three and converting 37.1 percent of the time. Their ability to continue that trend against the Blue Demons — or adapt as needed — could prove pivotal.