While Collin Gillespie waited to twirl the souvenir net from atop a ladder he could not have climbed a year ago, he was spotted by another former Villanova star who knows how to win a championship game in crunch time.
Kris Jenkins joked maybe it was his and Gillespie’s shared uniform No. 2 that made the Wildcats so fearless when the outcome was at stake. Or maybe it’s just the Wildcat Way forged under coach Jay Wright of shaking off nerves, bad shots, a stifling defense, whatever distraction got in their way, to always hit that next big shot and win the next big game.
“I mean, that’s what we expect,” Jenkins said.
Gillespie missed the Big East Tournament a season ago, then won it for the Wildcats this year.
It’s what they expect.
Gillespie nailed consecutive late 3-pointers that put No. 8 Villanova ahead for good, and the Wildcats beat Creighton 54-48 to take the Big East Tournament championship Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
