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.