Another night, another important Big East matchup for Villanova. This time it’s against DePaul, who will be visiting the Finn.

DePaul turned some heads across the college basketball world in November and December by getting out to a 12-1 start. That run included impressive wins over Iowa, Minnesota, and Texas Tech. Unfortunately for the Blue Demons, the start of Big East play has been a disaster as they have opened with three straight losses to enter Tuesday night’s game with ‘Nova at 12-4 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

The Blue Demons average 75.1 points per game while giving up 66.6. They have connected on 46.3 percent of their shots and are pulling down 39.2 rebounds per night while dishing 14.6 assists, swatting six blocks, and swiping 9.2 steals.

We see some interesting contrasts in DePaul’s KenPom numbers. Overall, they check in at No. 67, 113th offensively and 51st defensively. The biggest contrast stands out in the turnover department. The Blue Demons do an excellent job forcing turnovers, ranking 27th in opponent’s turnover percentage and 16th in steal percentage. However, they have a tendency to give the ball back to the opposition, ranking 239th in turnover percentage and 305th in opponent’s steal percentage. Other notable contrasts include the fact that DePaul has gotten to the foul line a respectable amount, but has also sent the opponent to the line at an alarming clip and the fact that the Blue Demons get an outsized percentage of their points from inside the arc while their opponents have enjoyed some balance offensively. One final one is the offensive glass. DePaul grabs 32 percent of its offensive rebound opportunities but also concedes 30.1 percent of opponent’s offensive rebound chances.

DePaul has four players averaging double-figures, led by Charlie Moore with 15.8 points per game. Moore adds 6.8 assists, three rebounds, and 1.9 steals. He also commits 3.6 turnovers per game. Paul Reed averages a double-double with 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds. He also adds 3.1 blocks, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 assists. Jalen Coleman-Lands chips in 11.4 points, while Jaylen Butz rounds out the double-figure scorers with 11.0 PPG. Romeo Weems adds 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, while Devin Gage has returned from a seven-game absence to chip in 5.7 points. Darious Hall and Markese Jacobs round out the players averaging at least 10 minutes for DePaul, averaging 5.0 and 4.3 points respectively.

Unfortunately, we are having some technical issues with our Synergy subscription, so we’ll have to forego those numbers in this preview. The good news is the traditional numbers, combined with KenPom’s metrics, give us a good idea of what the keys to a ‘Nova win should be.

The turnover battle is the thing that jumps off the page immediately. DePaul has done a great job forcing turnovers, especially steals. However, the Blue Demons also turn the ball over a lot themselves. If ‘Nova can limit its own miscues it will have a great opportunity to win the turnover battle and tilt the game in its favor.

It will be interesting to see if Villanova decides to sell out to defend inside the arc and force DePaul to win the game from the outside. The Blue Demons are shooting just 32.7 percent from beyond the arc and get 56.9 percent of their points from two-point range. If Villanova can challenge DePaul inside the arc and force it to try to win the game from beyond the arc, it could be tough for DePaul to keep up.

The free-throw line could play a role as well. As we mentioned, DePaul gets to the line a decent amount but shoots just 63.9 percent. Of the eight players we mentioned above, only three connect on better than 75 percent from the line while four of those players shoot worse than 70 percent. In addition, DePaul has had a tendency to send opponents to the line, something we’ve been hoping to see more of from Villanova, so there could be an opportunity to open an advantage there as well.

Villanova has done a decent job holding its own against solid rebounding teams the last few weeks, and that will be important again on Tuesday. DePaul is a solid rebounding team, and has done some damage on the offensive glass, but has also had trouble keeping opponents off the offensive glass. Villanova doesn’t necessarily need to win the rebounding battle, it just needs to prevent DePaul from opening a huge advantage there.

ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Villanova an 87.4 percent chance to win the game, while KenPom predicts an eight-point ‘Nova win. The trends certainly support those numbers. However, DePaul comes in a desperate team. Falling to 0-4 in conference play would be devastating, and the Blue Demons have games with Butler and Creighton looming. They will be desperate to get in the win column in Big East play, stop their current slide, and to try to not fall too far behind the pack in the conference. Despite the recent struggles, this is not the Big East doormat DePaul of years past and the Blue Demons come into the game with their backs against the wall. When you also consider how absolutely imperative it is to protect the home court in this year’s Big East, Villanova needs to come out focused and ready to execute. If it can, it will be able to put a little more space between itself and the crowded middle of the conference while keeping pressure on Seton Hall and Butler at the top of the conference.

The game is scheduled for 8:30 on FS1.