David Duke made a tiebreaking tip-in with 2.8 seconds left on Saturday and Providence hung on in the wake of blowing a noteworthy lead to beat No. 10 Villanova 54-52.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had an open gander at a 3-pointer after a long inbounds pass, yet the shot hit the front of the edge, and the ringer sounded before Jermaine Samuels tipped it in.
As of now without point monitor Collin Gillespie, who tore his MCL on Wednesday, the Big East hero Wildcats lost reinforcement, Justin Moore, to a lower leg injury in the main half.
Duke and Nate Watson scored 20 focuses each, and Noah Horchler had 10 focuses and 13 bounce back for Providence (13-12, 9-10 Big East). The Friars have won five of their last seven games against positioned groups.
Samuels scored 16 of his 21 focuses in the subsequent half, making consecutive layups to begin a 14-2 run and adding the last five marks of the convention that gave the Wildcats (16-5, 11-4) a 50-49 lead with under three minutes left.
Duke made one of two free tosses to tie it, and afterward sank a floater with a little more than brief left to make it 52-50. After Samuels made a couple of free tosses, Jared Bynum started up a jumper that bobbed off the edge, and Duke tipped it in.
Villanova mentor Jay Wright called break, at that point changed his play after Providence called break. Robinson-Earl got liberated from the correct side, however the ball bobbed high off the edge and when Samuels got his hand on it, it was past the point of no return.
Robinson-Earl had 11 focuses and 13 bounce back for the Wildcats, who secured the Big East ordinary season title with a triumph on Wednesday night.