A date with No. 10 DePaul (24-3, 11-1 Big East) won’t provide No. 18 Georgetown (20-6, 8-4 Big East) an easy opportunity for redemption after last Sunday’s 75-71 upset loss to St. John’s. But the Hoyas are no stranger to knocking off elite competition; the Blue and Gray have already claimed victories over No. 4 Tennessee and No. 8 West Virginia this season.

Sunday’s loss to the Red Storm snapped a six-game winning streak for the previously surging Hoyas, who fell into a deadlock with No. 22 Marquette (20-5, 8-4 Big East) for fourth place in the conference. A road win over the Blue Demons would, however, more than compensate for any momentum lost in Queens, N.Y.

DePaul has exploded into the upper echelon of the Big East this year after finishing 9-7 last season and currently shares second place with No. 8 Notre Dame, trailing only No. 2 Connecticut. The Blue Demons are in the midst of a three-game unbeaten spell and have won 11 of 12 games in conference play, falling only to UConn.

But despite the opponent’s daunting resume — which includes a 91-71 demolition of No. 3 Stanford and a perfect 14-0 home record — the Hoyas do not plan on deviating from the strategy that has brought them success this season.

“We aren’t going to change anything for DePaul. We can only focus on our game so we’ll continue to prepare as we have all season,” Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said.

The Hoyas’ tenacious defense, which allows a meager 55.1 points per game, will be put to the test by a balanced yet potent DePaul attack. The Blue Demons, who average 76.4 points per game, have four players averaging double figures in scoring. DePaul boasts a strong perimeter game with the Big East’s third-best three-point field goal percentage. However, two forwards — junior Keisha Hampton and senior Felicia Chester — lead the team in scoring, with 15.6 and 11.9 points per game, respectively.

“We want to pressure them and disrupt their offense, just as we would for any team,” Williams-Flournoy said.

Meanwhile, it is no secret that Georgetown is led by the scoring prowess of standout sophomore Sugar Rodgers. The star guard averages a Big East second-best 18.7 points per game and was named to the Naismith award midseason top 30 list by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Monday. Senior guard Monica McNutt averages 11 points per game, the second-best average on the team.

Also unsettling for opponents is the recent emergence of junior forwards Tia Magee and Adria Crawford, who give the Blue and Gray a significant inside presence. Magee was the Hoyas’ second-leading scorer with 16 points at St. John’s, while Crawford turned in an impressive nine points and nine rebounds. The two will also play an important role defensively against DePaul’s high-scoring duo of Hampton and Chester.

“Tia and Adria playing well is always important to our game,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We expect offensive production, but more importantly, we expect them to play defense on the other end. They’ll be challenged against DePaul.”

Georgetown also hopes to address several nagging concerns on Sunday, as they have struggled recently with rebounds and turnovers. Junior guard Rubylee Wright had been taking exceedingly good care of the basketball before an ugly three assists and six turnovers on Sunday, part of 17 total team turnovers. Still, Wright leads the conference with 5.6 assists per game.

The Hoyas are not unaccustomed to being outrebounded but should expect to have a good chance at winning the battle of the boards against the Blue Demons. DePaul keeps its opponents off the glass only slightly more effectively than Georgetown.

Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Sunday at McGrath Arena in Chicago, Ill.