Nova Report
The 8-8 Villanova Wildcats are in Chicago to do battle with the 7-9 DePaul Blue Demons. Tip is 9:00 pm Eastern. Nova is -6.5/142.5.
DePaul is comprised of mostly portal players. They have fared quite well for the Blue Demons but their talent level in the Big East has not measured up to the better clubs. They are led by Javan Johnson who averages 15.9 ppg and shoots 42% from 3. Umoja Gibson is a solid point guard averaging 15.5 ppg. Yor Anei, 6’10”, had a breakout game last out vs. Butler. Penn and Nelson average about 10 ppg apiece. This club shoots mostly 3’s but only knocks in just under 32%. They do not defend the 3 well. They can create turnovers but also turn the ball over a lot. They also commit a lot of fouls.
On the Nova side, they match up quite well height wise vs. DePaul. They commit less turnovers than DePaul and are the best free throw shooting club in the nation. So, they are playing a team that doesn’t defend the 3 well, shoots mostly 3’s but can’t make them, fouls a lot and turns the ball over a lot. Could be wrong but this is an ideal matchup.
For DePaul, Johnson, their best 3 point shooter has gone cold and probably is due to get back on track. For Nova, even though they lost to Xavier last out, it looked like something clicked for them on offense which should carry over tonight.
What Will Happen
As per usual, DePaul will run and Nova won’t. Three’s will be flying all night. Whitmore will be the best player on the court. Armstrong should get a lot of minutes as should Hauser. Not sure if a lot of solid defense will be played.
Nova Pick: I’ve been struggling to get the Wildcats capped correctly. This looks like a game they should win by 10 or more. So sticking with that belief. Taking Nova-6 (buying hook)
Nova Pick Record:7-9