NEW YORK — Kris Dunn flirted with the first triple-double in the Big East Tournament in 17 years, but despite his heroic efforts defending champion Providence lost to this year’s favorite, Villanova, 63-61, in an instant-classic semifinal on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
In Saturday night’s championship game, No. 1 Villanova will play No. 6 Xavier for its first Big East tournament title since 1995. The Musketeers fended off a late run by No. 2 Georgetown to win 65-63 in the nightcap.
In the first semifinal, the 6-foot-3 Dunn went for 22 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds and tied the game at 61 on a layup off a steal by teammate Ben Bentil with 12 seconds left.
Villanova ultimately won the game at the foul line when Ryan Arcidiacono, who shared Big East co-Player of the Year honors with Dunn, made two free throws with 3.1 seconds left after a whistle was called on Bentil as Arcidiacono drove to the basket.
“The refs just made that call, we have nothing to say about it,” Dunn told SNY.tv in the Providence locker room. “Ryan made a great move, so…”
“At the end of the day we have the best officials in the country,” Friars coach Ed Cooley said. “It was a 50/50 play, it just didn’t go our way.”
Providence is one of six Big East teams headed to the NCAA Tournament and Dunn said he’s looking forward to making a run in the Big Dance.
“If we play like we did today, most definitely,” he said. “Everybody contributed, everybody played hard. If we keep that grit that we had today against Villanova, we should be fine.”
While Villanova won the game, Dunn emerged as the clear star whose NBA Draft stock is on the rise.
After initially being projected as a second-round pick by DraftExpress.com, Dunn is currently projected as the No. 24 pick in the draft.
Sources close to the program said Dunn plans on sticking around for his junior year, which would be good news for Providence and bad news for the rest of the Big East.
“If he stays he has a chance to be a lottery pick next year,” one NBA scout told SNY.tv.
Mike Dunleavy Sr., the former head coach and GM of the Los Angeles Clippers and the father of Villanova assistant Baker Dunleavy, couldn’t help but be impressed by Dunn and how his game could translate to the NBA.
“I think it translates very well,” he told SNY.tv. “I mean, he’s got great size, he’s got great quickness, he had a great scoring game tonight as well. He shot the ball well from outside, better than I’ve seen it.
“At some point some day he’s going to be an NBA player….The longer he stays, the higher he’ll go in the draft because he can get nothing but better.”
Dunn said he’s only thinking about the NCAA Tournament and nothing beyond that.
“Right now we’re just focused on the team and advancing in the tournament, so right now it’s just all about the Friars,” Dunn said.
He also credited his teammates for helping to make him the player he is.
“I’m playing good, my teammates is helping me play good,” he said. “They [are] knocking down shots, they [are] making big time plays. And by them doing that it just opens up the lane for me.”
NBA scouts do have some concerns about Dunn’s health, with one asking if he would pass a physical.
Dunn tore his labrum in June 2012 and underwent shoulder surgery after that. He underwent a second shoulder surgery in the 2013-14 season and took a medical redshirt.
Still, he looks fine now. On one play in the second half, he knifed through the lane and hit a lefty layup off the glass.
“He’s big-time,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “We’re pretty good defensively and we’re pretty good in pick-and-roll defense. He’s the toughest guy we’ve guarded in pick-and-roll defense.”
Asked to assess his star’s night, Cooley said: “I think Kris is by far the Player of the Year. I think he’s the best player in the league. I don’t even think there’s a close second.”
