No. 6 Villanova 88, DePaul 62: James Bell tallied 17 points and eight rebounds and Daniel Ochefu added a career-high 14 points as the host Wildcats cruised past the Blue Demons.

Ryan Arcidiacono also scored 14 points and Josh Hart added 13 off the bench for Villanova (16-1, 5-0 Big East). Darrun Hilliard II chipped in 11 points as the Wildcats finished at 55.4 percent from the field despite missing 10 of their first 13 shots.

Brandon Young scored 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting to lead DePaul (10-9, 2-4). Billy Garrett Jr. added 11 points and Cleveland Melvin, Tommy Hamilton IV and Charles McKinney each chipped in 10 as all five starters hit double figures for the Blue Demons but the reserves managed only eight points.

Both teams started off cold, as it was 5-2 DePaul at the first media timeout and 12-10 Villanova at the midway point of the first half. Dylan Ennis was fouled outside the arc and hit all three free throws to spark an 11-4 burst for the Wildcats, who pulled out to a 33-24 advantage at the half.

The Blue Demons scored the first two baskets of the second half to pull within 33-28, but Ochefu's three-point play set off an 8-0 spurt and the Wildcats didn't let the margin dip into single digits the rest of the way. DePaul cut it to 64-52 with just under eight minutes remaining, prompting a Villanova timeout, but Bell hit a 3-pointer coming out of the break and drained another during an 11-0 run to put it away.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Villanova has won seven straight in the series and nine of 11 meetings in coach Jay Wright's tenure. … The Wildcats have held 47 consecutive opponents under 50 percent shooting dating to Nov. 16, 2012. … DePaul was just 4-of-14 from 3-point range.