DePaul looks to knock off No. 21 Providence

Published Dec. 30, 2021 3:31 p.m. ET

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No. 21 Providence (12-1, 2-0) vs. DePaul (9-2, 0-1)

Wintrust Arena, Chicago; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 21 Providence looks to give DePaul its seventh straight loss to ranked opponents. DePaul's last win vs a ranked opponent came against the then-No. 5 Butler Bulldogs 79-66 on Jan. 18, 2020. Providence beat Seton Hall by five at home in its last outing.

LEADING THE CHARGE: The explosive Javon Freeman-Liberty has averaged 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and four assists to lead the way for the Blue Demons. Complementing Freeman-Liberty is David Jones, who is putting up 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The Friars have been led by Nate Watson, who is averaging 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds.NIFTY FREEMAN-LIBERTY: Freeman-Liberty has connected on 32.2 percent of the 59 3-pointers he's attempted and has gone 6 for 30 over his last five games. He's also converted 74.2 percent of his free throws this season.

PERFECT WHEN: DePaul is a perfect 7-0 when the team records at least 11 offensive rebounds. The Blue Demons are 2-2 this season when they fail to reach that mark.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Friars have recently gotten buckets via assists more often than the Blue Demons. DePaul has 28 assists on 71 field goals (39.4 percent) across its previous three contests while Providence has assists on 40 of 76 field goals (52.6 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: DePaul is ranked second among Big East teams with an average of 79.5 points per game.

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Nate Watson

Butler Bulldogs

Providence Friars

Liberty Flames

DePaul Blue Demons