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

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 21: Cole Swider #10, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21, Collin Gillespie #2, and Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats celebrate with their teammates after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at the Wells Fargo Center on December 21, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 56-55. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 04: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

3. The Blue Demons have a chance for a signature win

It has been over a decade since DePaul has had what most would consider a successful season, and they haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2004. However, with the team off to a 12-4 start, there is optimism that things are finally trending back in the right direction for the Blue Demons. DePaul has made the Big Dance just twice since 2000, but after a 12-1 start prior to Big East play which included a win over national runner-up Texas Tech, the Blue Demons were one of the sport’s early surprises.

League play hasn’t been kind to DePaul, they began with a loss to Seton Hall as Myles Powell returned for the Pirates. In their second game, they lost a tight one-point game to a surprising Providence team that is now 3-1 in Big East play.

This game with Villanova is the beginning of a critical stretch for DePaul if they want to show people that they are no longer a walkover in the Big East conference. In the span of the next week, they host the Wildcats and then begin a homestand with games against No. 5 Butler and Creighton. Notching a win over Villanova here could be critical to their post-season hopes because the schedule might put them in a hole they can’t dig out of despite the good start to the season.

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