After a relatively easy win in the quarterfinals, Villanova stormed out of the gate confident, with senior leader Darrun Hilliard accounting for most of their early points. He appeared aggressive early on, a positive sign for the Wildcats' chances. Villanova maintained a comfortable margin for much of the first half by mixing it up, going inside to Ochefu, who finished off some interior feeds against Carson Desrosieres.

For Providence, LaDontae Henton hit some shots from beyond the arc in the beginning of the game to keep the Friars within reach. Josh Hart continued to be aggressive towards the end of the first half, wreaking havoc on the defensive end and connecting on two pivotal three pointers late in the half. His shooting extended the lead, but was answered by Kris Dunn's late push at the end of the half, countering with a three pointer and assist of his own. Dunn continued to facilitate in the second half, involving Desrosieres and Ben Bentil, who finished through contact on the inside.

Villanova continued to maintain a comfortable margin for most of the second half, though, driven by the aggressive interior play of Daniel Ochefu, whose work on the defensive glass (10 defensive rebound) and rim protecting (5 blocks) really kept Villanova competitive.

That said, Villanova's excessive reliance on the long range shot really hurt them in the second half, particularly with Hilliard on the bench saddled with foul trouble. Providence sensed the opportunity for a run, and the co-Big East POY, Dunn, was brilliant with the spotlight on him. He regularly got into the teeth of the defense and either finished at the rim, found Bentil for an easy layin or kicked it out for an uncontested three point shot.

Needless to say, the Friars quickly seized the momentum, eventually cutting the lead to three, despite a Josh Hart three pointer. That is when, after being silent for most of the second half, Hilliard decided to step up, connecting on a jumper to extend the lead. But, the pesky Friars were far from "done" in this one. Specifically, Kris Dunn quickly beat every Nova defender down the floor for an easy layup. He followed that up by scoring off of a Bentil steal on the in bounds play to tie the game. With seconds left to go in a tie game, Dunn's co-POY Ryan Arcidiacono attacked the paint and drew a foul with a couple of ticks left on the clock. He coolly sank both free throws  to seal the win and advance Nova to the Big East Final.   

In the second semifinal, Georgetown got out to an early lead on aggressive drives to the rim by Jabril Trawick and solid post entry feeds to Joshua Smith, who was his typical nimble self in the post. However, the interior duo of Matt Stainbrook and Jalen Reynolds was a pivotal part of the Xavier attack, and Stainbrook's interior repertoire was on full display in the first half of this one. A JP Macura three - assisted by Dee Davis - with just under seven minutes to go in the first half gave Xavier its first lead of the game. Xavier extended its run by turning to its interior might, with Reynolds and Stainbrook each connecting on jumpers to keep the defense honest and push the lead out.

During that stretch, Georgetown played a very careless brand of basketball, turning the ball over on numerous occasions and appearing completely out of sync offensively. D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera was silent for the latter part of the first half, and Georgetown's young trio of Peak, White and Copeland made characteristically freshman mistakes early on. Xavier led by nine points at the half. Their momentum carried over into the second period, with Stainbrook firing on all cylinders. Dee Davis was also electric taking his man off the bounce and feeding his big men or finishing at the rim. He played with considerable poise throughout this contest and helped extend the lead to 21 points. At that point, Smith-Rivera and Copeland woke up. Smith-Rivera hit a three and Copeland connected on a couple of jumpers to make a final run. Trawick was aggressive on both ends of the floor, but played with a consistent energy through most of the game, and was particularly effective on the glass. Following a Paul White three, Smith-Rivera's layup cut the Musketeer lead to one. At that point, Xavier hit their free throws and shrewdly played the fouling game, trading free throws. Instead of intentionally missing the second of two free throws with two seconds to go, Trawick made both. On the other end, a purposeful miss by James Farr halted Georgetown's run, sealing their fate.

Despite a tightly contested semifinal, Villanova pulled away early in the final and never looked back against Xavier. Dylan Ennis was a critical component of the team's early run, hitting a three-pointer and attacking the basket early. Big East tournament MVP Josh Hart also continued his magnificent run, connecting on a couple of jumpers to extend the Villanova lead to 14 points with just over four minutes left in the half. Importantly, Ochefu clamped down on Stainbrook in the paint, helping to force turnovers and doing an excellent job protecting the rim. Given his poor play early, Coach Mack gave extended minutes to Farr and Reynolds for much of the second period. Villanova's hot three point shooting continued in the second half, with Hilliard and Arcidiacono getting involved early. Dee Davis played with considerable heart to keep his team hanging around - stealing the ball and finishing at the rim. He also boasts a pretty floater in the lane and has considerably improved his decision making over the years with only one turnover in the championship game. However, in the end, the Dylan Ennis - Josh Hart combination was too much down the stretch and Villanova earned the automatic bid.