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No. 2 Villanova vies for Big East crown vs. Providence

Villanova advanced to the championship game of the Big East Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.

But it won't face top-seeded Xavier as expected.

Instead, the second-seeded Wildcats will battle fifth-seeded Providence for the Big East title Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

No. 2 Villanova (29-4) rolled to a 19-0 lead and crushed sixth-seeded Butler 87-68 in the semifinal round on Friday. The Musketeers were shocked by Providence 75-72 in overtime earlier in the day.

For the first time in five seasons, Villanova wasn't the top seed. Yet it still has one game remaining to clinch another conference tournament championship.