We have our first upset in the 2011 Big East Tournament. No. 10 seed Villanova, who was in the top 10 in the nation for large stretches this season, blew a 16-point lead and fell to lowly No. 15 seed South Florida in the first round. The Bulls will face No. 7 seed Cincinnati Wednesday in the second round.
The Wildcats fall to 21-12 overall, and while they will almost certainly make the NCAA Tournament, it will be interesting to see what their late-season slide means for their seeding. South Florida, meanwhile, improves to just 11-22 on the season.
The Bulls scored the first eight points of the game, but Villanova dominated the rest of the first half and led 49-33 at halftime. However, the Bulls rallied and finally took a 68-67 lead with 22 seconds left when Anthony Crater stole the ball from Maalik Wayns on a horrendous inbounds pass and scored a layup on the other end. Wayns then gave the Wildcats the lead with two free throws, but Crater responded with a righty layup with seven seconds left to give VSouth Florida the lead. Wayns streaked down the court on the other end, but missed a three at the buzzer for the final margin.