Creighton and Villanova will meet in the finals of the BIG EAST tournament after both won in dramatic fashion Friday. Here's what you need to know heading into Saturday's championship game:
- Villanova won both regular-season matchups against the Jays. The Wildcats beat the Jays 80-70 New Year's Eve when both teams were still undefeated, and again Feb. 25 (79-63).
- Creighton comes into the title game as a sixth seed. No sixth seed has won the BIG EAST tournament since 1981.
- The Jays trailed at the half of each of their two BIG EAST tournament games thus far, but came back to win both.
- Villanova's Josh Hart led the BIG EAST in scoring this season with 18.2 ppg, trailed by the Jays' Marcus Foster with 18 ppg.
- Both Foster and Hart hit game-winners Friday to send their teams to the finals. Foster nailed a three with 6.6 seconds left, while Josh Hart got a put-back and a foul to put his team up two with just under 10 seconds left.
- Creighton's Justin Patton is on pace to break the record for field-goal percentage from a freshman. Patton is currently shooting 69.7 percent from the field, the record is 67.8 percent.
- The Wildcats own a 9-2 series lead over Creighton, but the two have never met on a neutral court.
- Creighton and Villanova will tip off for the BIG EAST Tournament Championship at 4:30 p.m. in Madison Square Garden. The game will be broadcasted live on Fox.
