CINCINNATI 72, VILLANOVA 68: Yancy Gates had 16 points and nine rebounds, and the Big East's worst foul shooting team buried five of six attempts down the stretch as the Bearcats fended off the host Wildcats.

Dion Dixon (14 points), Sean Kilpatrick (13) and Jaquon Parker (11) also scored in double figures for Cincinnati, which swept the season series. The victory gave the Bearcats (22-9, 12-6) their most Big East wins since joining in 2005-06.

Thanks to Saturday's losses by Georgetown and South Florida, the Bearcats notched the fourth seed and a double-bye for the Big East tournament.

Maalik Wayns, who had a conference season-high 39 points in an 82-78 loss at Cincinnati in January, had 26 points and five assists for Villanova (12-18, 5-13).

Tied at 58, Kilpatrick and Parker knocked down 3-pointers to produce a six-point Bearcats' advantage with 3:12 remaining. Dixon later added a 3-pointer as Cincinnati's final three field goals came from beyond the arc.

Cashmere Wright's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Cincinnati a 40-32 halftime cushion. The Bearcats hit 51.6 percent from the floor (16 for 31) in the first half and went 5 for 5 at the foul line.

Villanova surged back and took its first lead since 4-2 on Wayns' 3-pointer with 11:09 to play that made it 50-49.

Mouphtou Yarou added 16 points and seven boards for the Wildcats.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati led by as much as nine in the first half, at 20-11, after a 9-0 spurt. … Gates moved into 15th on Cincinnati's all-time scoring list and 14th on its rebounding list. … Wright collected five of his six steals in the first half. … It was the Wildcats' first home loss to Cincinnati (3-1).