Villanova tops Creighton to win Big East title

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While Collin Gillespie waited to twirl the souvenir net from atop a ladder he could not have climbed a year ago, he was spotted by another former Villanova star who knows how to win a championship game in crunch time.

Kris Jenkins joked maybe it was his and Gillespie's shared uniform No. 2 that made the Wildcats so fearless when the outcome was at stake. Or maybe it's just the Wildcat Way forged under coach Jay Wright of shaking off nerves, bad shots, a stifling defense, whatever distraction got in their way, to always hit that next big shot and win the next big game.

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"I mean, that's what we expect," Jenkins said.

Gillespie missed the Big East Tournament a season ago, then won it for the Wildcats this year.

It's what they expect.

Gillespie nailed consecutive late 3-pointers that put No. 8 Villanova ahead for good, and the Wildcats beat Creighton 54-48 to take the Big East Tournament championship Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

"This is why I came back," he said as he held his tournament Most Outstanding Player trophy.

Gillespie missed both postseason tournaments in 2021 with a torn ligament in his left knee. But a year later he was courageous in the waning minutes, hitting the go-ahead 3 over the outstretched arm of 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner with 2:44 left.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright gestures to supporters while cutting down the net after the final of the Big East conference tournament against Creighton, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

The 6-foot-3 senior then grabbed a rebound at the other end and came right back and drained another