Justin Moore is back, but Villanova is without Jordan Longino vs. DePaul

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.