Justin Moore is back, but Villanova is without Jordan Longino vs. DePaul
Moore will be back on Friday after missing the last five games, but an ankly injury will keep Longino out.
Villanova fifth-year guard Justin Moore will make his return to the lineup Friday night when the team hosts DePaul at Finneran Pavilion (8:30 p.m., FS1).
But it’s one player in, one player out for the Wildcats, who will be without junior forward Jordan Longino, who has a sprained left ankle. Longino was injured in Villanova’s 81-71 loss to St. John’s and played just 22 minutes. Longino, who is scoring 8.7 points per game, is listed as day-to-day.
» READ MORE: Villanova’s loss to St. John’s highlighted a few problems plaguing the Wildcats
Moore missed Villanova’s last five contests. He suffered a knee sprain during the team’s overtime loss at Kansas State on Dec. 5. The Wildcats (10-5, 3-1 Big East) went 4-1 in Moore’s absence, including am 84-48 blowout win over Friday’s opponent, DePaul, on Dec. 23 in Chicago.
Moore is Villanova’s second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game. Despite its 4-1 record without Moore, Villanova has struggled offensively. Moore had been considered a game-time decision in each of Villanova’s last two games. He was seen at the end of practice Thursday without a knee brace, signaling that his return was likely imminent.
The Wildcats are nearly 20-point favorites Friday night vs. a DePaul team that is 3-12 and winless in four Big East games. A 4-1 start to conference play would put Villanova in solid position in the Big East standings, especially with a tough week coming up. The Wildcats play at No. 11 Marquette Monday (2:30 p.m., Fox) before hosting No. 4 UConn on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center (8 p.m., Fox). The Huskies could be No. 1 by then, considering the three teams ranked ahead of them lost this week.