The Villanova Wildcats kept things rolling on Wednesday night, earning an 86-74 win over DePaul to run their winning streak to nine games and their Big East record to a perfect 8-0. Much like the last game against the Blue Demons, it wasn’t Villanova’s prettiest performance, but the ‘Cats controlled much of the game and there was plenty to like. Let’s look at the key numbers that defined the win.
14: Villanova offensive rebounds
After losing the rebounding battle to DePaul in the first meeting between the teams, the Wildcats earned a 35-31 edge on the glass Wednesday night and they were dominant on the offensive glass. The ‘Cats earned second opportunity after second opportunity and made the Blue Demons pay. Villanova was textbook in its conversion of offensive boards into 3-point opportunities, helping the Wildcats to 15 makes from beyond the arc.
As a result of the work on the offensive glass and the next stat on our list, ‘Nova put up 15 more field goal attempts and 19 more 3-point attempts than DePaul, leading to a decisive 24-point advantage from beyond the arc that proved too much for the Blue Demons to overcome.
3: Turnovers by Villanova
The ‘Cats have shown improvement in taking care of the ball over the past few weeks, and that culminated with just three miscues against DePaul. The feat is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that there was a time this season where we would consider anything under 12 turnovers a success.
In addition to helping Villanova get more shots at the rim, the lack of empty possessions made any comeback attempts by DePaul virtually impossible.
As impressive as the low turnover number is on its own, and as encouraging as it is that it continued a positive trend, perhaps the most impressive thing about the number is what it tells us about the state of the team. The players are getting comfortable with their roles, getting on the same page and getting used to playing with one another, and are showing a better grasp of the offensive concepts.
We knew these things would take time, and now that they are happening, we are seeing the team we hoped we would see.
16, 11: Points and rebounds for Saddiq Bey
We’d be remiss if we looked at Wednesday night’s numbers and didn’t mention Saddiq Bey. He was fantastic for the ‘Cats, adding three assists and two steals to his 16 points and 11 rebounds. He was a terror on the offensive glass, grabbing seven offensive rebounds and setting the tone for the team in that department. He shot 6-9 from the floor and 4-6 from 3 and brought great energy, making impact plays all night long.
It was the first double-double of Bey’s collegiate career (he came close against Canisius and Oklahoma State). He seems to enjoy playing DePaul, as he averaged 15.5 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals against the Blue Demons this season. While not exactly the same, his performances against DePaul conjure memories of Donte DiVincenzo’s play against St. John’s.
Bey has quickly developed into a key contributor for the ‘Cats as he became the first of this year’s freshmen to earn Jay Wright’s trust. He is currently fourth on the team in minutes per game at 27.4. He’s translated that to 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds and has scored in double figures in three straight games.
