VILLANOVA, Pa. – A busy stretch at Finneran Pavilion continues Tuesday night when the Villanova Wildcats host BIG EAST rival DePaul at 7 p.m. The tip time was pushed back last week from the originally listed 5 p.m.
 
The game will air nationally on FS1 with Dave Sims and Bill Raftery on hand to call the action. In addition, the Villanova IHeart Radio network (Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby) will broadcast as well (also heard on Sirius 136 and XM 201 via satellite).
 
Villanova bounced back from a 47-39 deficit early in the second half to down Georgetown 85-74 Saturday at Capital One Arena. Collin Gillespie (28 points), Justin Moore (19 points) and Jermaine Samuels (18 points) combined for 65 points in the win. The Wildcats (14-5 overall, 7-2 BIG EAST) have won seven of their last eight games.
 
"Any road win in the BIG EAST is a big win," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright after Saturday's game. "Any of the teams in this league are basketball powers. Basketball is the biggest thing happening on their campus. It's not like you're at a football school and well, all right, there is a basketball game and it's not a big deal.
 
"It means a lot to every school. If you can win on the road in this league, you've done something special."
 
The 85 points came on the heels of a 57-54 loss in the final seconds on Jan. 19 to Marquette. The Wildcats struggled to find an offensive flow in that contest as the Golden Eagles made scoring a challenge.
 
"We don't really talk about it," said Gillespie of a defeat that snapped a 29-game win streak at Finneran Pavilion. "We kind of try to move on to the next game or next play. That's kind of the mindset we have. I thought we had a really good road attitude."
 
The more efficient offensive effort, Gillespie stated, was a product of good decisions.
 
"It was just us taking what we saw," noted Gillespie of a 48-point second half. "I thought Jermaine did a really good job of getting to the basket and Justin as well. Our other guys were getting in there too. We were just taking what the defense gave us, running offense to score."
 
The Wildcats have rallied from halftime deficits to win four times in 2021-22, including on Jan. 8 vs. the Blue Demons in a 79-64 triumph at Wintrust Arena. Gillespie – who was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll Monday for the second consecutive week - also scored 28 points in that contest, his season high.
 
Villanova is 14-2 this season when scoring 60 or more points in a game. It fell three spots in this week's Associated Press poll to No. 14 and is at No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches poll. The Wildcats are the highest ranked of the five BIG EAST teams in this week's AP Poll that also includes No. 17 Providence; No. 20 Connecticut; No. 21 Xavier and No. 22 Marquette.
 
DePaul (10-8 overall, 1-7 BIG EAST) dropped a 60-47 decision to Creighton Saturday in Omaha. Its last three visits to the Finneran Pavilion have all produced tight games. All three Villanova victories were decided by five points or less, including a 79-75 overtime victory on Jan. 14, 2020.
 
This is the first of two on-campus battles for the Wildcats this week. On Saturday Villanova hosts St. John's at 4:30 p.m. in a game that will be carried on the Fox broadcast network (Fox 29 in Philadelphia) and the Villanova IHeart Radio Network.