Not too bad for a “down” year, huh?

Villanova completed the conference double Saturday night, adding the Big East tournament championship to its regular season conference title with a 74-72 win over Seton Hall. The Wildcats became the first team to win three-straight Big East conference tournament titles and have now won four of the last five.

The game was a classic Big East battle.

The ‘Cats quickly fell behind 5-0, only to recover with seven-straight points to take the lead. That set the tone for a back-and-forth first half, as ‘Nova was able to build an eight-point lead only to see Seton Hall respond and regain the lead with 2:32 to go. A tip-in from Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree at the halftime buzzer sent the ‘Cats to the break with a two-point advantage.

Seton Hall began the second half the same way they started the game, scoring the first five points and retaking the lead. Once again, ‘Nova quickly responded an established a seven-point cushion at the 16-minute mark. The Pirates tied the game less than three minutes later, and it was becoming clear we were in for a tight game.

The teams traded blows and exchanged the lead several times over the next five minutes, but a 13-4 run by the ‘Cats put them up nine with three minutes to go, and it looked like they might have the game in hand. We should have known better.

Helped by some Villanova miscues, the Pirates got within one on a Myles Powell layup with 16 seconds left. Eric Paschall split a pair of free throws to put the ‘Cats up two. On the ensuing possession, Phil Booth played excellent defense on Myles Powell, who missed a potential game-winning three. Booth tracked down the long rebound and appeared to be fouled with less than a second remaining, beginning a celebration for the Wildcats. Except the officials instead whistled Booth for a travel, giving the Pirates one last chance. Fortunately, their lob to the basket went awry and time expired, and the Wildcats held on for the hard-fought victory.

There’s a lot of credit to give out in this one, as a number of Wildcats stepped up and made huge plays throughout the night.

We’ll start with tournament Most Outstanding Player Phil Booth. He struggled mightily in the first half, managing just a single point. But he rallied in the second, finishing with 16 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. He made some big shots and did an incredible job setting the tone for the Wildcats.

Leading scorer Eric Paschall was huge as well. He had 17 points and eight rebounds. For much of the night, it was Paschall who was getting a bucket for the ‘Cats when they needed it, and he did an excellent job helping Booth lead the way.

Saddiq Bey continued his growth, coming up huge in the biggest game of his young career. Bey played with impressive poise and confidence, finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. He added three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Bey hit some big shots, showed a well-rounded offensive game, and had an impact at both ends of the floor.

Jermaine Samuels’ maturation continued as well, as the sophomore chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists while hitting some momentum-altering shots for the ‘Cats.

Collin Gillespie had seven points, two rebounds, and two assists.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree provided six points and seven rebounds off the bench.

‘Nova shot 41.5 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from 3, building a 12-point advantage from beyond the arc and a 10-point margin from the charity stripe. The ball movement was fantastic, as the ‘Cats assisted on 17 of their 22 made field goals and had multiple possessions that resembled vintage Villanova basketball.

Defensively, the Wildcats weren’t perfect, but they were sound. They limited Seton Hall to 40.6 percent from the floor and 28 percent from 3. The ‘Cats conceded just 11 free throw attempts to the Pirates and won the rebounding battle 41-36.

Villanova truly gutted and grinded their way to this championship, and while it was a stressful run, it was also an enjoyable one and one to be incredibly proud of. For this team to weather the loss of four players to the NBA, incorporate new pieces, embrace new roles and emerge with both a regular-season and conference tournament championship speaks volumes. Jay Wright and seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall deserve a ton of credit.

The Wildcats have strengthened their NCAA tournament resume and should receive a solid seed tomorrow evening. In addition, they have given themselves some momentum heading into the Big Dance and added another chapter to the Villanova basketball tradition.