Seton Hall pulled off the unthinkable in upsetting favorite Villanova by a score of 69-67 to win its first Big East Championship since 1991. Isaiah Whitehead led the Pirates with 26 points as Seton Hall fought off late rallies from the Wildcats as fans in Madison Square Garden erupted at the final buzzer.
For a while, it looked like Villanova would prevail. Forward Kris Jenkins hit the fifth and final of his clutch three-pointers with less than a minute remaining to put Villanova up by three, but Seton Hall refused to die. Whitehead made a driving layup and was fouled, and then sunk the free throw to give the Pirates the lead with 18 seconds remaining.
How do you win a @BIGEAST Championship? @SetonHallMBB's Isaiah Whitehead does it his way. pic.twitter.com/PN9Gt5voGW
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) March 13, 2016
Villanova would look to Jenkins again to sink a potentially game-winning three, but his shot was no good and Seton Hall was fouled again in a scrum. Free throws were made and that was all for Villanova as the Pirates stormed the court.
Seton Hall is now set to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004, when Louis Orr was coach, and could wind up being a serious force to be reckoned with.
Stay tuned to Campus Sports for further updates from Championship Week!
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
