Seton Hall had defending National Champion Villanova on the ropes, but it was the veteran Wildcats who pulled through when it mattered most. After trailing most of the night, Villanova beat Seton Hall 55-53, and advanced to the Big East title game.
2017 Big East Tournament schedule and bracket: Villanova will face Creighton in title game
Both Big East semifinal games were fantastic.
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Villanova got off to a slow start in the semifinal and Seton Hall led 27-20 at the half. It wasn’t until the 9:18 mark of the second half that Villanova took its first lead of the game, 41-40. It came off a steal and fast break from none other than National Player of the Year candidate, Josh Hart.
Seton Hall continued to battle throughout the rest of the second half, scoring on back-to-back possessions to retake the lead, 44-41. Again, it was Hart with a big time three-pointer to put the Wildcats up 48-46 with 3:57 to play.
Then, with 9.6 seconds remaining, it was Hart once again grabbing an offensive rebound followed by a put back where he was fouled. He made the free throw and put Villanova up 55-53 for good.
Hart and Jalen Brunson scored the final 20 points for Villanova, as the Cats got their revenge on Seton Hall, who beat them in the Big East Tournament title game last year.
Creighton defeats Xavier to advance to title game
In a game that was close all throughout, it was sixth seeded Creighton coming away with a win 75-72 over seventh seeded Xavier. Teams exchanged three-pointers as the clock ran down when Marcus Foster hit a final three with 6.6 seconds left to put Creighton ahead for good.
Championship game
Villanova and Creighton will play in the Championship game on Saturday, at 5:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
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