No. 2 Villanova captures Big East tournament title, likely top overall NCAA seed

Villanova’s Josh Hart (3) drives past Creighton’s Marcus Foster (0) during the first half of a championship NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the Big East men’s tournament Saturday, March 11, 2017, in New York.

When the NCAA selection committee unveils the tournament bracket on Sunday night, expect Villanova to be the top overall seed – a designation the Wildcats secured with a win over Creighton to take home the Big East Conference tournament title on Saturday.

In dominant fashion yet again, the Wildcats trounced the Bluejays 74-60 in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden, capturing their second Big East tournament championship in the past three years.

Senior guard Josh Hart, a leading contender for the John R. Wooden Award, led the way for No. 2 Villanova, scoring a game-high 29 points while adding six rebounds and two assists in the victory.

While the final score illustrated why Villanova has been the class of the conference all season long, Creighton fought early in the first half. With 10:28 remaining before halftime and the score tied 11-11, Hart took over and showed why he was named the Big East’s player of the year, scoring 11 straight points to give the Wildcats the lead for good.

The win was Villanova’s seventh straight against the Bluejays and 10^th consecutive victory in March, dating back to its NCAA championship run last season.