Wooga Poplar leads Villanova into date with DePaul

Field Level Media|published: Fri 3rd January, 13:12 2025

Dec 21, 2024; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Wooga Poplar (5) on the court against the Creighton Bluejays in the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

While forward Eric Dixon continues to lead Villanova -- and the nation -- in scoring at 26.0 points per game, Wooga Poplar sparks the Wildcats from the backcourt.

Poplar also is the top rebounder for Villanova (9-5, 2-1 Big East) at 7.2 per game heading into Saturday's home date with struggling DePaul (9-5, 0-3).

Poplar is coming off consecutive double-doubles in conference play. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds in a road loss at Creighton on Dec. 21, then contributed 18 points and 15 boards on Wednesday to help the Wildcats earn a comeback victory at Butler.

"I just put myself to (think), like, 'Don't let the other team get the ball,' and I try to secure the rebound so that we can get back on offense and then also we get stops," Poplar said.

Villanova returns for a two-game homestand that begins with DePaul and concludes with a Jan. 8 visit from 11th-ranked UConn.

The Blue Demons saw their Big East regular-season losing streak balloon to 35 games with Wednesday's home loss to the Huskies.

UConn never trailed during the game and held off a DePaul run that brought the team to within nine points with 7:58 left.

DePaul coach Chris Holtmann credited the steadiness of Conor Enright, who had 18 points and nine rebounds as well as a series of strong defensive plays.

Huskies coach Dan Hurley said Enright "is like Tim Tebow at point guard," a nod to the versatility and leadership Holtmann valued in pursuing the transfer from Drake.

"He's a good player; I don't want to dismiss that by any stretch," Holtmann said. "But it's more than that. It's how he competes and how he plays."

Villanova coach Kyle Neptune touts the same toughness in his team. The Wildcats were plus-13 on the glass at Butler.

"We didn't start where we wanted to start," Neptune said, "but we kept our heads up and kept battling and we're going to continue to do that."

Holtmann said Wednesday that the status of starting forward David Skogman, who has missed the past two games with a right leg injury, is uncertain.

--Field Level Media