NEW YORK – A return to the Big East Tournament championship wasn’t in the cards for Xavier’s men’s basketball team.
One year after ascending to the title game and falling to Villanova, No. 5 Xavier’s bid for a rematch was thwarted by Seton Hall. The third-seeded Pirates downed second-seeded Xavier 87-83 in a tournament semifinal Friday at Madison Square Garden.
Kevin Willard’s team (24-8) meets top-seeded Villanova (29-4) in Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. finale. The winner claims the Big East’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, although both teams are already locks for the Big Dance.
So is Xavier (27-5).