#1 Villanova 69 #6 Xavier 52 – The Villanova Wildcats won the regular season title and added the Big East Tournament championship to their resume defeating Xavier in Madison Square Garden. Villanova made a statement as to deserving a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. Guard Josh Hart scored 15 points in the final and was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player.
“”I’ve got to attribute that to my teammates. ” said Hart. “They found me when I was open. They had total confidence in me to knock down the open shots when they found me.”
Villanova had a 34 – 21 lead at halftime. Early in the second half three-pointers by Darrun Hilliard and Ryan Arcidiacono propelled the Wildcats to a 42 – 21 lead and control of the game.
Dylan Ennis led the way for the champions with 16 points and Hilliard added 10. Villanova shot 50% for the game, and 9 of 23 from distance. Defensively, the Wildcats held the Musketeers to 22 of 58 (37.9%) and 2 of 15 from three-point land. Jalen Reynolds and Dee Davis led Xavier each with 13 points.
The tournament title was the first for Villanova since 1996. Coach Jay Wright said that the Big East Tournament in the Garden is his favorite. It may even become more of a favorite now.
The Selection Committee renders their thoughts on Selection Sunday.
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