Villanova Wildcats vs DePaul Blue Demons Prediction, 2/5/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs DePaul Blue Demons

Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Location: Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Villanova Wildcats (12-10) are traveling to Wintrust Arena on Wednesday where they will take on the DePaul Blue Demons (11-12).

The Villanova Wildcats took the court against Creighton and took a loss by a score of 62-60 in their last contest. Villanova finished the game having earned a 39.7% FG percentage (23 of 58) and buried 3 out of their 17 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Wildcats knocked down 11 of 12 tries for a percentage of 91.7%. Concerning hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 25 with 0 of them being offensive. They also distributed 7 dimes for this contest as well as forcing 17 turnovers and having 13 steals. In the matter of the defense, Villanova allowed the other team to shoot 47.1% from the field on 24 of 51 shooting. Creighton dished out 14 assists and had 2 steals for the contest. On top of that, Creighton grabbed 38 boards (7 offensive, 31 defensive), but didn't have a block. Creighton went 57.1% at the charity stripe by making 8 of 14 shots. They also knocked down 6 of 26 shots from distance. In relation to fouls, the Wildcats ended up walking away with 16 and Creighton totaled 14 fouls.

Wooga Poplar is a player who was a major contributor in this game. He accounted for 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting. He was on the court for 25 mins and also collected 4 boards. He ended up going 58.8% from the field but had no dimes when the game ended.

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Villanova heads into this game with a win-loss record of 12-10 on the season. They turn it over 10.0 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.5 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Villanova is pulling down 34.9 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 292 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 231st in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Wildcats are connecting on 39.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (217 of 552) and 79.9% from the charity stripe. They average 76.0 points per game (138th in D-1) while hitting 46.9% from the field.

Defensively, the Wildcats have forced 10.4 turnovers per game and they draw 15.5 fouls. They give up 35.1% on 3-point attempts while they are 87th in the nation in points per game allowed (68.4). The Wildcats defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 43.0% (516 of 1,201) and they relinquish 30.5 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 256th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 311 surrendered this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the DePaul Blue Demons went home victorious with a score of 74-57 against Seton Hall. In the matter of how they rebounded, DePaul allowed Seton Hall to grab 24 overall (12 on the offensive side). They finished 23.5% from downtown via 4 out of 17 and finished the contest at 11 of 19 from the charity stripe (57.9%). The Blue Demons allowed Seton Hall to convert 21 of their 60 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.0% for this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Blue Demons finished shooting 26 for 47 from the floor which had them sitting at 55.3%. When talking about shooting from 3-point land, DePaul knocked down 9 of their 22 tries (40.9%). They were able to knock down 13 of the free throws for a rate of 86.7%. Seton Hall earned 15 fouls for the game which got the Blue Demons to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They also turned the ball over 18 times, while getting 7 steals in this game. The Blue Demons were able to snag 27 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 for this contest.

N.J. Benson was important for the Blue Demons in the matchup. He recorded 17 points in his 38 minutes on the court and had 3 assists in this contest. He made 8 out of 13 in this matchup for a rate of 61.5%, and had 11 rebounds.

DePaul has a record of 11-12 on the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Blue Demons are connecting on 44.9% from the field, which ranks them 175th in the country. DePaul has 1,717 points on the year (74.7 per game) and they collect 36.0 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 16.2 times per contest (46th in the nation) and they are turning it over 13.0 times per game. The Blue Demons are responsible for committing 16.8 personal fouls every game while shooting 71.1% from the free throw line.

The Blue Demons defensively are ranked 240th in D-1 in points given up per game with 73.5. They have forced 10.9 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.8% from the field (257th in college). The DePaul defense surrenders 35.3% on shots from distance (170 of 481) and their opposition knocks down 68.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 15.0 assists and 33.8 rebounds per game, which ranks them 312th and 149th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take DePaul

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