Day three of the 2017 Big East conference tournament is in the books. Here’s where things stand.
The Big East tournament final is set as the Villanova Wildcats will take on the Creighton Bluejays for the trophy on Saturday.
Villanova advanced with a thrilling 55-53 win over the Seton Hall Pirates. The Wildcats needed a late tip-in from National Player of the Year candidate Josh Hart to get the job done. Hart finished with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Jalen Brunson added 13 points of his own. The win keeps the Wildcats on track to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday.
For the Pirates, the loss probably means little as they likely secured their spot in the Big Dance with a win over Marquette in the quarterfinals.
RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket
On the other side of the bracket, Creighton knocked off the Xavier Musketeers on a late Marcus Foster 3-pointer. The junior poured in 21 points and six assists while Justin Patton pounded the Musketeers on the interior for 21 points as well. The win should help the Bluejays secure their seeding as they’ve shown they can win without injured point guard Maurice Watson Jr.
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Xavier will now have to wait until Sunday to find out its fate, although it should still be in the field after picking up the biggest win of its season over the Butler Bulldogs in the quarterfinals.
Here’s a look at the full updated bracket. Click to enlarge.
The finals matchup will feature two of the nation’s most efficient offenses. Villanova swept the season series, beating Creighton 80-70 in Omaha and 79-63 in Philadelphia. On the perimeter, the individual battle between Hart and Foster will be critical, but whether or not the Wildcats have enough size to contain Patton could be the turning point. We’ll find out when the final tips off on Saturday.