Villanova Guard Collin Gillespie Tears MCL, Out for Rest of Season

Gillespie, who leads Villanova in assists and is the team's second-leading scorer, suffered the injury to his left knee in Wednesday's win over Creighton.

A day after Villanova senior guard Collin Gillespie exited his team's 72–60 win over Creighton Wednesday night with a left knee injury, the school announced Gillespie would miss the rest of the 2020-21 season with a torn MCL after an MRI confirmed the severity of the injury.

"We are all devastated for Collin," Wright wrote 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. Collin is as mentally tough and resilient as any player we have had here. I know he will get through this and make it a positive for his career."

Gillespie, who was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard earlier this week, was a second-team All-Big East selection last season. He leads the team in assists per game (4.6) and made three-pointers (41), while averaging 14.0 points per game.

Gillespie, who's played in 118 games for Villanova over the past four years, has the option to return for a fifth season in 2021-22 due to the pandemic-altered school year. All NCAA athletes will be granted another year of eligibility if they so choose.

The win over Creighton secured Villanova's seventh regular-season Big East championship in the past eight years. The Wildcats wrap up their regular season with a road game on Saturday at Providence, and will play in the Big East tournament quarterfinals against the conference's No. 8 or No. 9 seed next Thursday.