Pick a sequence, any sequence. There were enough micro moments in the first half that contributed to the final result to fill this entire space, so let’s stick to one stretch. Villanova had a 15-point lead inside of five minutes to go in the opening frame.

Eric Dixon scored all 19 of his points in the second half, including 11 during a decisive run, as sixth-seeded Villanova got past 11th-seed Seton Hall 67-55 in the opening round of the Big East tournament on Wednesday night.

Day 1 of the 2025 Big East Tournament concludes with the Seton Hall Pirates (7-24, 2-18) taking the court against the Villanova Wildcats (18-13, 11-9). Villanova saw their NCAA Tournament hopes extinguished with a 75-73 loss to Georgetown eight days ago.