DePaul vs. Villanova: Key storylines for 2019-20 Big East matchup

2. Both teams feature important freshmen

Look for some first-year players on both sides to play prominent roles in this game. A couple of them are playing big minutes for the Wildcats, Robinson-Earl, and Moore, and DePaul guard Romeo Weems has been a key cog for the Blue Demons.

Robinson-Earl has been a mainstay in the Villanova starting lineup this season, as I said earlier, he nets double-digit points (10.6) and leads the team in rebounding. The 6-9 native of Kansas has been solid offensively in putting up those numbers, shooting 45% from the field and a solid 85% from the free-throw line, if he can improve his long-distance shooting, he will become a more well-rounded threat, right now he is shooting just 27% from beyond the arc.

Moore has split starting duties with Swider, he started the first six games of the season but has come off the bench since. The reserve role has seemed to fit Moore as he averaged 18 points per game in his first four games as a reserve.

Weems is a 6-7 forward from Michigan who has been a starter from the beginning for DePaul and has done a little bit of everything for Dave Leitao. On the season he has scored 7.8 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals. Even though Weems hasn’t taken a ton of three-pointers, just 29 on the year, he has made 41% of them almost matching his field-goal percentage of 48%. These three freshmen have been and should continue to be important parts of their teams’ success.