DePaul goes for sweep against Villanova
Jerry Wainwright has a pretty good handle on Villanova.
It's his own team that often leaves him scratching his head.
Wainwright, the third-year DePaul coach, knows how important tonight's game has become for Villanova, which is 1-2 in Big East play and has nearly fallen out of the top 25. With a forthcoming road contest against Syracuse, Villanova can't afford a second loss to DePaul in 13 days.
"They want to right a wrong; they want to bounce back," Wainwright said Monday. "They'll be highly motivated to win this game. But my question to my team is, 'Why aren't you?' "
Many of Wainwright's comments about the Blue Demons this season have been posed as questions. The reason? DePaul has fluctuated from game to game, half to half, possession to possession.
But in league play the Demons (7-8, 3-1) are starting to provide some answers. Tonight, they aim to make a statement against No. 25 Villanova at the Pavilion.
Urgency will be on Villanova's side, but DePaul is most likely the more confident team. The Demons survived a sloppy first half to win Saturday at St. John's, their third consecutive victory away from home.
"I don't know if we would have much chance to be successful (tonight) if we had not won Saturday," Wainwright said. "You can talk about a lot of things, but after you've done 'em, it makes more sense. We showed we can move on from a loss."
That loss, a 76-60 thrashing against Georgetown, taught DePaul several lessons, including the need to anticipate a hungry team and avoid slow starts. The Hoyas, who were coming off an unsatisfying victory over Rutgers, stormed out to an 11-0 lead and coasted.
Wainwright admits his players might have underestimated Georgetown's readiness. They won't make the same mistake tonight.
"Winning on the road is hanging, hanging, hanging, and trying to be there at the 35-minute mark," Wainwright said. "(Villanova is) a hard catch-up team because of their speed."
DePaul hopes to counter 'Nova's speed with its size.
In conference games, Villanova ranks last in the league in rebounding margin (minus-7.7). Center Casiem Drummond was cleared to practice Monday after missing six games with a stress fracture in his right ankle, but coach Jay Wright told Comcast SportsNet that the sophomore will not play tonight.
DePaul is far from a rebounding force, but senior center Wesley Green comes off a career-high performance (12 rebounds) and freshman forward Mac Koshwal ranks seventh in the league in boards (8.2 rpg). Koshwal was sick Monday and didn't practice, but he returned to the court Tuesday and expects to play tonight.
"I don't think we've utilized our size the way we need to," Wainwright said. "We have to get the ball inside. It doesn't mean necessarily you're going to score, but you have to be in position to rebound."
Villanova will get a full dose of DePaul freshman Dar Tucker, who played just three minutes in the teams' first meeting because of an ankle injury. Tucker has held or shared the scoring lead in DePaul's last three games.
"In the beginning of the season, I was taking a lot of bad shots," Tucker said. "Now, I'm really finding my shot. I'm maturing a little bit."
DePaul (7-8, 3-1) at Villanova (11-3, 1-2)
When: 8 p.m. at the Pavilion
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Available at www.depaulbluedemons.com
The skinny: The teams have gone in opposite directions since opening the Big East season Jan. 3 at the Allstate Arena. DePaul shares the league lead and with a win can reach the .500 mark for the first time since Nov. 28. Villanova slipped to No. 25 in the AP poll after a road loss to Cincinnati. The Wildcats are shooting just 25.7 percent from 3-point range in conference play, while DePaul ranks fifth in 3-point percentage defense (28.0). After struggling with injuries the last few weeks, Villanova star Scottie Reynolds scored 32 points (5-of-11 on 3-pointers) against Cincinnati. DePaul freshman Dar Tucker has averaged 15 points in his last three games.
-- Adam Rittenberg