Villanova loses Gillespie to season-ending knee injury

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Villanova guard Collin Gillespie has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Gillespie had an MRI that confirmed the tear Thursday after injuring the knee during the first half of Wednesday night’s game against Creighton.

“We are all devastated for Collin,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said in a statement. “He is the heart and soul of our program. We know we can’t replace him. We all just want to step up and play so that we honor him."

Gillespie was recently named one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which honors the nation’s top point guard. In 20 games this season, he has averaged 14 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds. His 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the Big East Conference.

The 10th-ranked Wildcats (16-4, 11-3), who clinched their seventh Big East regular season title in the last eight seasons with the win over the No. 14 Bluejays, visit Providence Saturday.

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