VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova practiced Friday at Finneran Pavilion ahead of Saturday's game at DePaul. That clash is set for 2 p.m. eastern time, airing nationally on the Fox network (Fox 29 in Philadelphia). Matt Schumacker and Nick Bahe will have that call. The contest can also be heard via the Villanova IHeart Radio Network (Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby).
 
The Wildcats and Blue Demons had both scheduled meetings in 2020-21 cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first meeting since the Wildcats downed the Blue Demons 91-71 at Wintrust Arena on Feb. 15, 2020.
 
DePaul (9-4 overall, 0-3 BIG EAST) is led by first-year head coach Tony Stubblefield.
 
Villanova has reeled off three consecutive BIG EAST victories since dropping its conference opener at Creighton on Dec. 17. All three came wins came against teams receiving recognition in the Associated Press Top 25: Xavier, Seton Hall, and the Bluejays.
 
In its most recent action, Villanova (10-4 overall, 3-1 BIG EAST) leaned on a stifling defense to earn a split of the season series with Creighton, posting a 75-41 triumph before a sellout crowd of 6,501 Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion. Junior guard Justin Moore led the way with 22 points as head coach Jay Wright recorded his 500^th win as the leader of the program.
 
"It was nice to get the win," stated Villanova's Jermaine Samuels, who contributed 18 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday night. "But honestly we're just worried about the next day and getting better. That was a great opportunity to play Villanova Basketball. Now, we're thinking about DePaul and how to get better."
 
Samuels was asked what made the difference in the two outcomes against Creighton. Villanova dropped a 79-59 decision to the Bluejays in Omaha on Dec. 17.
 
"The biggest difference was us as captains – me, Collin (Gillespie) and Justin – taking ownership of the team and understanding what it means to be a Villanova Basketball team, taking on that challenge," Samuels stated.
 
Moore noted that, win or lose, the approach is always centered on learning from the prior game and returning to the practice court laboratory afterward.
 
"Of course, we were upset (about the loss at Creighton)," Moore said. "But it would be the same way if we had won. We just come back the next day to try and get better. We had to get tougher defensively. We came back here and went to work."
 
Rebounding continues to be an important barometer for the Wildcats, who saw last season's leading rebounder, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (8.5 rpg) enter the National Basketball Association Draft. The Wildcats are 9-0 when outrebounding their opponent this season, which they did Wednesday night by a 35-26 margin.
 
Samuels has been one of the cornerstones on the glass for Nova, compiling 49 caroms over the team's last six games (an 8.3 rpg average). The Franklin, Mass., native leads the Wildcats in rebounding at 6.8 rpg this season.

Wright said Friday that senior guard Caleb Daniels, who missed the last two games due to COVID-19 protocols, will be available Saturday. Moore (hamstring) and Brandon Slater (ankle) are listed as questionable according to the head coach.
 
This is the first of a pair of road games for Villanova. The Wildcats are next slated for a return engagement with Xavier, this one in Cincinnati on Wednesday night. The action at the Cintas Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (FS1 and the Villanova IHeart Radio Network).