The undefeated Villanova Wildcats will begin their Big East schedule against the DePaul Blue Demons, owner of the worst non-conference record in the Big East.
TV Schedule: Wednesday, December 27, 7:30 pm E.T., CBSSN
Arena: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Only three teams in all of college basketball remain unscathed in the loss column. Two are somewhat surprising: the TCU Horned Frogs and the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The Villanova Wildcats, on the other hand, are right where they have belonged in recent years.
Villanova coasted through their non-conference schedule, winning nine of their 12 games by at least ten points. They have now reigned supreme in the AP poll for three straight weeks.
Junior leader Jalen Brunson is scratching the surface on his talent. On December 13, he scored a career-high 31 points in a win over Temple. He’s averaging 18.1 points and 5.0 assists per game this season.
Beyond that, the Wildcats simply have DePaul’s number. Villanova has won the last 14 contests between the teams, stretching back a decade. The fact that Villanova is on top of the conference right now while DePaul is on the bottom suggests win No. 15 may be due.
An unexpected boost for the Blue Demons may be their home arena. The Wintrust Arena opened in October, so DePaul’s basketball teams are the first tenants breaking it in. They’ve won six of the eight games they’ve played there, though all of those victories were against mid-major opponents.
They lost at home to Notre Dame and Northwestern.
To pull the upset, the Blue Demons will need a big effort from junior Max Strus. He leads the team with 17.3 points per game, putting up eight three-pointers per contest.
Even if he connected on all eight of those shots, it may not be enough. Villanova is better in every facet of the game and has their sights set on a national title. It’s too early for them to trip up against a mediocre opponent, even one with home-court advantage.
Prediction: Villanova 89, DePaul 73