Villanova Men's Basketball
Villanova Preview: Wildcats Take On New-Look DePaul

DePaul struggled to an abhorrent 3-29 record during the 2023-24 season, with Villanova (9-5, 2-1 Big East) happily contributing to three of those losses as the Blue Demons went 0-20 in Big East play. They’re next on the Wildcats’ schedule, slated for a home matchup at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, but this Blue Demons team is far from a pushover.
They’ve already tripled last season’s win total, sitting at 9-5 under new head coach Chris Holtmann, a Big East veteran who coached the Butler Bulldogs to three straight NCAA Tournament bids from 2014 to 2017, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance during his final season at the helm. Holtmann then jumped ship for Ohio State, taking the Buckeyes to the Big Dance in four of six eligible seasons, including a 2022 Round of 32 loss to Villanova… and had Ohio State well in line for another bid before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 postseason.
Despite the quick turnaround, DePaul has yet to pick up their first conference win this season, sitting at 0-3 with losses to Providence, St. John’s and UConn. The former came in a tough overtime matchup, while the latter two are some of the better teams in college basketball, so nothing for the Blue Demons to be ashamed of.
As of games played on Thursday, Jan. 2, DePaul occupies the No. 90 spot in the NET rankings, making this a Quadrant 3 matchup for Villanova; the Wildcats, in comparison, sit at No. 61.
Where to Watch; Who to Watch
FS1 holds broadcasting rights for the matchup against a DePaul team that — it goes without saying — looks much better than last year’s.
Things change in a heartbeat in the era of the transfer portal, and the Blue Demons got to work the second last season ended, overhauling the roster with a whopping ten transfers. Among those are sophomore guard Jacob Meyer, who leads DePaul in points with 14.3 per game, making 45.8 percent of shots from the floor and 42.1 percent of his three point attempts; junior Conor Enright, whose 7.2 assists per game pace the team and are good for sixth in the nation. 6-foot-10 center David Skogman leads the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game and adds 8.8 points per contest, although he’ll miss the game with Villanova due to a leg injury, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Other key offensive contributors include Isaiah Rivera (10.9 points per game) and CJ Gunn (9.7 points per game), two more transfers. While the Blue Demons post a solid 79.2 points per game, the No. 97 mark in the nation, they reach that benchmark via a committee approach rather than through any one overwhelming scorer, like Wildcats’ small forward Eric Dixon.
DePaul’s 38.5 percent success rate on three-point attempts, the 26th-best mark in the nation, could pose a problem for the Wildcats defense, which has struggled on shots from beyond the arc this season. The Blue Demons’ 38th-highest attempt rate from three is another trend to watch, especially if Enright creates open looks.
Even so, ESPN Analytics gives Villanova an 83.3 percent chance of securing the win, with ESPN Bet setting the spread at -9.5 in the Wildcats’ favor (-500 money line), with an over/under of 146.5.