Villanova Preview: How Will the ‘Cats Adjust Without Hodge?

Villanova Men’s Basketball will try to sweep a resurgent DePaul team on Wednesday, March 4, traveling to face the Blue Demons at 8 p.m.

While the Wildcats (22-7, 13-5 Big East) have the No. 3 seed locked up heading into the conference tournament, this remains an important matchup. Redshirt freshman starter Matt Hodge went down with a season-ending ACL tear their last time out, and Villanova has just two regular season games left to learn how to win without him heading into the postseason. They also have a shaky résumé in a down year for the Big East, meaning every win matters as they jockey for NCAA Tournament seeding.

The Wildcats took the first game 71-66 on Dec. 31, erasing a 10-point deficit behind 19 points apiece from Tyler Perkins and Bryce Lindsay. DePaul (16-13, 8-10 Big East) holds the No. 5 seed in the Big East a year after finishing with a 4-16 record in conference play. They’ve won four of their last five games but aren’t expected to give Villanova too much trouble in spite of Hodge’s absence. 

69.5 percent of ESPN Analytics simulations end in a Wildcats’ win; DraftKings Sportsbook has them as a -162 money line favorite, setting the point spread at -3.5 and the over/under at 135.5 in a game between two defenses in the KenPom top 40. The Blue Demons sat at No. 96 in the NET rankings on the evening of March 3, making this a Quadrant 2 matchup for Villanova (No. 33).

Peacock holds the broadcast rights to this matchup. 

Scouting the Blue Demons

DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann used a starting lineup of forwards Théo Pierre-Justin, NJ Benson and guards Brandon Maclin, RJ Smith, and Layden Blocker in their last game, a win over Marquette.

Maclin and Pierre-Justin both played in the game at the Finneran Pavilion, but Holtmann allocated them bench minutes as they worked back from injuries. Two months later, they’re ready to go: Maclin scored 18 points at Marquette on March 1. 

CJ Gunn, who led the Blue Demons with 15 points at the Finn, switched to the bench on Feb. 11 and has operated as their sixth man ever since. He leads the team with 13.6 points per game; Benson takes home the honors in rebounds (7.6) and blocks (0.7), helping DePaul win 43-39 on the glass at Villanova. That disparity might grow worse with Hodge out of the lineup.

Blocker (3.5 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game) serves as the lead distributor and he, Benson and Maclin all average more than ten points per game.

DePaul’s improved health and home court advantage — and the loss of Hodge — could make this a difficult matchup for the Wildcats.

Scouting Villanova

Expect Villanova head coach Kevin Willard to go with a starting lineup of point guard Acaden Lewis, guards Lindsay and Perkins, wing Malachi Palmer and forward Duke Brennan. Palmer stands 6-foot-6 but is a rangy athlete who fills in the four for Willard. The Wildcats will have a size disadvantage — nothing new for them this season — but Hodge’s absence will make it even worse.

7-foot-1 center Braden Pierce should also eat up some minutes, but both he and Brennan are traditional rim protectors: deploying both at the same time would make it difficult for Villanova to stretch the floor. Whoever’s playing the five will have a full plate. Brennan (11.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG) averages a double-double but has struggled at times this season when the Wildcats’ system demands that he stand on his head. Both Palmer and Pierce have acclimated well in recent weeks, but the injury bug turns a luxury into a necessity. Junior wing Zion Stanford, who last played on Feb. 4, could also see an increased role.

Lewis (12.7 PPG), a true freshman, leads the team in assists (5.1) and steals (2.0) per game; after Hodge, Brennan’s 0.5 blocks per game pace Villanova. Perkins (13.3 PPG) leads them in scoring and is one of four starters in double figures; Lindsay (12.4 PPG) went through an extended shooting slump to begin 2026 but has rebounded in recent games. His ability to get involved may prove critical for the short-staffed Wildcats.

Another key contributor is sixth year sixth man Devin Askew, who contributes on both ends of the court and gives this young Villanova team a much-needed boost of experience and physicality.