Xavier @ Villanova preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 24, 2019 ) Villanova 54, Xavier 66

Collin Gillespie is starting to heat up for Villanova at the perfect point of the season. The top-seeded and 25th-ranked Wildcats are two wins away from winning another Big East Tournament and hope to extend their time at Madison Square Garden with a win over No. 4 seed Xavier on Friday.

Gillespie had scored in single digits in six of his previous seven games before erupting for 22 points against Seton Hall in Villanova's regular-season finale. He followed that up with 19 points against Providence in Thursday's quarterfinal victory, improving to 9-of-15 from 3-point range during his hot two-game stretch. "We count on him in some clutch situations," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Again, he's another guy who's a sophomore and (we are) kind of treating him like a senior. He's got to be a leader, and he's got a lot on his shoulders too. He's been awesome all year." Zach Hankins was awesome for Xavier on Thursday, posting 22 points, including the go-ahead bucket with 21 seconds left, as the Musketeers edged Creighton 63-61.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT XAVIER (18-14): A No. 1 seed in last season's NCAA Tournament, Xavier needs two more wins to squeak into this year's event, although it won't be easy against the defending national champions, who have also won the last two Big East Tournaments. Naji Marshall had 11 points and eight rebounds to complement Hankins' big day on Thursday, but the Musketeers' 4-of-18 3-point shooting won't get it done versus Villanova. Quentin Goodin averages 11.1 points but has totaled only 18 in the last three games, shooting 7-of-28 over that stretch.

ABOUT VILLANOVA (23-9): Gillespie, who also had six assists and two steals on Thursday, was joined in double figures by senior standouts Eric Paschall (20 points) and Phil Booth (13), both of whom were named to the All-Big East first team earlier this week. Paschall contributed 10 rebounds in posting his third double-double of the season, two of which have come against the Friars. Booth averages a team-high 18.4 points but has exceeded that total only once in the last five games.

TIP-INS

1. Xavier lost by 10 at Villanova earlier this season before getting revenge with a 12-point home victory over the Wildcats on Feb. 24.

2. Booth committed a career-high six turnovers on Thursday and has at least three turnovers in six of the last eight games.

3. Since scoring 31 points against St. John's on Feb. 28, Marshall has totaled 22 points on 8-of-26 shooting in his last two appearances.

PREDICTION: Villanova 69, Xavier 67