Last Night in College Basketball: Villanova Wins Its 1st Big East Battle

Men's college basketball, women's college basketball – there's no shortage of college ball, every night.

Don't worry, we're here to help you figure out what you missed but shouldn't have. Here are all the best moments from last night in college basketball.

The last time the Villanova Wildcats qualified for the NCAA Tournament, the year was 2022. Beloved NBA role player Collin Gillespie was running point, Jay Wright was enjoying his swan song as a head coach and current head coach, Kevan Willard was, well, at Seton Hall. And on Tuesday, the Wildcats took a big step toward returning to March Madness by beating Seton Hall in their first taste of Big East play in 2025-2026.

Villanova was win-less in its two previous Quad 1 opportunities — against BYU and Michigan – so getting a signature victory over the Pirates will go a long way in strengthening its résumé. The Wildcats took advantage of a rare Quad 1 opportunity in the weak Big East because Willard, a defensive-minded head coach, pressed all the right buttons on that side of the ball. 

The Wildcats held the Pirates to just 3-of-13 shooting on 3-point attempts. They held Seton Hall scoreless for over six minutes after their first basket of the second half, growing their lead from 31-29 to 47-29 in that time. And point guard Adam "Bud" Clark scored just 4 points on 11 shots, and didn't make up for it on assists, either, as he had just 2 despite averaging well over 5 per game on the season. Seton Hall finished the game with a season-low in points, 56, and as a result they took a hit in the NCAA Evaluation Tool, or NET: Seton Hall dropped from 34th to 44th, while Villanova went 10 spots in the other direction with the W, from 30 to 20. See? Résumé building.

UCLA forward Tyler