VILLANOVA, Pa. – The question is raised regularly to Villanova head coach Jay Wright. It came up again Wednesday evening at Wintrust Arena, not long after the No. 14/14 Wildcats had posted an 86-74 victory over DePaul on a night when temperatures outside the building in Chicago hovered at -15 degrees.
 
Are the number of 3-pointers the Wildcats are attempting in 2018-19 in any way a concern to the coaching staff?
 
In a few words, the answer might best be boiled down to: "not really."
 
Here was how Wright described it after watching his Wildcats connect on 15-of-35 from beyond the arc (.429) in the victory over the Blue Demons.
 
"We know we have really good shooters," explained Wright. "But even good shooters miss. We're never discouraged when we miss. I thought we took one bad three against DePaul at the end of the first half when Phil (Booth) got a little mixed up on the clock. He was thinking 2-for-1. Other than that, we took all good 3's.
 
"It's a big part of our offensive scheme and we want to take advantage of it."
 
The Wildcats have dropped in 32 from beyond in their last two games. Five different Villanova players contributed two or more on Wednesday night, led by sophomore Collin Gillespie (four) and freshman Saddiq Bey (four). Senior Phil Booth added three from distance while fellow veterans Eric Paschall and Joe Cremo each added a pair.
 
On the season, .529 of all of Villanova's field goal attempts have come from behind the arc.
 
Often an indicator of quality ball movement can be found in the assists column. Villanova has reached double digits in assists in each of its last six contests, including 16 at DePaul (with just three turnovers). Booth set the pace in that department with eight assists with zero turnovers.
 
"We're still working on that – being solid with the ball," stated Booth. "DePaul is a very good defensive team with the length that they present. I thought it was good for us to take care of the ball while still trying to attack."
 
Villanova will look to maintain its offensive flow on Sunday when it hosts third place Georgetown at the Wells Fargo Center. The Hoyas (14-7 overall, 4-4 BIG EAST) have knocked off St. John's on the road and Xavier at home in the last week. Freshman guard James Akinjo scored 23 points to lead the way against the Musketeers, including 4-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
Sunday's game is set to tip off just after noon and airs on FS1 (Tim Brando and Steve Lavin) as well as 610 ESPN and Sirius XM channel 81 (Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby). Fans attending the game are encouraged to arrive early for a special pre-game ceremony that is scheduled to get underway at approximately 11:40 a.m.
 
At halftime, Villanova will honor its 2019 inductees into its Athletics Hall of Fame. Among the honorees is former Wildcats basketball standout Gary Massey, the 1988 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
 
This will be the Wildcats' fourth regular season home appearance at the Wells Fargo Center, where they are 3-0 thus far (wins over Quinnipiac, Xavier and Seton Hall). Villanova has compiled a 31-3 record in its home away from home since the start of the 2012-13 season.
 
On Wednesday night, Villanova returns to its campus home, the Finneran Pavilion, for another BIG EAST clash. The Wildcats last hosted a game in the facility on Jan. 8, a 76-71 triumph over St. John's. Wednesday night's duel gets underway at 8:05 p.m. on CBS Sports Network and 610 ESPN Radio.