Villanova’s men’s basketball team (10-13, 4-8 Big East) will return home to the Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday for another in-conference matchup against the DePaul Blue Demons. DePaul is in 10th place in the Big East, with only three in-conference wins and holds a 9-15 overall record. 

The last time these two teams met was on January 10th, when the Blue Demons had a second half surge that pushed them past the Wildcats to claim their first win in the series in 14 years. 

While the first half ended with just a one point differential, a 15-3 boost early in the second half pushed DePaul ahead of the Wildcats, helping them to win, 75-65. 

For DePaul, Javan Johnson helped to fuel a 9-2 run that spearheaded its success in the second half, while big man Da’sean Nelson went head-to-head with Eric Dixon, and proved to be successful in the paint, putting up eight points in less than 10 minutes. 

Now, looking forward to their second meeting of the season, the pressure is on for the ‘Cats to reclaim their success in the series and snap their own three game losing streak. 

As for the Blue Demons, while they are currently on a five game losing streak, there are a few key players to watch for this upcoming matchup. 

Senior Umoja Gibson leads the team, averaging 16 PPG, while Johnson and Nelson are the second and third leading scorers on the squad, each averaging more than 10 PPG.

Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m and the game will air nationally on FS1.