Big East Tournament 2017: Semifinals Scores, Championship Bracket and Schedule

Madison Square Garden played host to a pair of 2017 Big East tournament semifinals Friday night with the top-seeded Villanova Wildcats in action against the Seton Hall Pirates in the first half of the evening's doubleheader. 

The late game, meanwhile, featured the Xavier Musketeers and Creighton Bluejays in a clash of squads looking to bolster their resumes further in advance of Selection Sunday. 

Below, you'll find a recap of the night's action along with an updated schedule as the Big East tournament nears its conclusion. 

Matchup	Result/Start Time (ET)
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 5 Seton Hall	Villanova 55, Seton Hall 53
No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 7 Xavier	Creighton 75, Xavier 72

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Saturday, March 11	Villanova vs. Creighton	5:30 p.m.	Fox

Villanova 55, Seton Hall 53

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

A year after the Pirates upset the Wildcats in the Big East tournament final, the defending national champions exacted their revenge in a thrilling 55-53 win. 

Villanova scored a season-low 20 points in the first half and trailed by seven at the break, but a sensational performance from Josh Hart down the stretch allowed the Wildcats to sneak past the Pirates and into the title game. 

Hart finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and his put-back bucket through contact with 9.6 seconds remaining in regulation propelled Villanova in front for good, as FS1 documented on Twitter: 

Jalen Brunson (13 points) was the only other Wildcats scorer to finish in double-figures on a night when Villanova shot a shaky 41.7 percent from the field and 5-of-19 from three. 

Seton Hall, on the other hand, received double-figure contributions from three players. Desi Rodriguez led that pack with 14 points, while Myles Powell and Khadeen Carrington dropped 11 points apiece. Angel Delgado also shined against Villanova's small frontcourt to the tune of eight points and eight boards. 

By virtue of the Kansas Jayhawks' loss to the TCU Horned Frogs on Thursday, the Wildcats are now in line to capture the NCAA tournament's No. 1 overall seed if they can cap their week off with one more win on Saturday night.  

Creighton 75, Xavier 72

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

As it turns out, the drama wasn't limited to Villanova and Seton Hall. 

Locked in a heated battle with the Musketeers, the Bluejays survived in a 75-72 thriller thanks to a game-winning three from Marcus Foster with 6.6 seconds remaining in regulation. 

FS1 relayed footage of Foster's clutch bucket, which came on the heels of a game-tying three from Xavier's Trevon Bluiett: 

Foster finished his heroic effort with 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Justin Patton also dropped 21 points as he shot a wildly efficient 10-of-13 from the floor. 

The story for Xavier revolved around backcourt marksman J.P. Macura, who poured in 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting (6-of-11 from three). 

The Bluejays will now turn their attention to the Wildcats, who bested them twice during the regular season, including a 79-63 romp on Feb. 25.