RYAN KALKBRENNER

For the first time in conference history, Big East basketball is happening on Christmas Day. Here are the keys to the game.

Oumar Ballo dominated inside with 30 points and 13 rebounds for No. 14 Arizona, which held off No. 10 Creighton 81-79 to win the Maui Invitational for the third time.

Remy Martin scored 20 points, Ochai Agbaji put Kansas ahead for good with his first basket early in the second half, and the Jayhawks held off Creighton 79-72 to advance to the Sweet 16.

North Carolina and first-year coach Hubert Davis got themselves off the NCAA Tournament bubble and now hope to make trouble for defending national champion Baylor in a featured matchup of the second round.

Collin Gillespie nailed consecutive 3-pointers late in the game that put No. 8 Villanova ahead for good, and the Wildcats beat Creighton 54-48 to win the Big East Tournament championship at Madison Square Garden.

While Collin Gillespie waited to twirl the souvenir net from atop a ladder he could not have climbed a year ago, he was spotted by another former Villanova star who knows how to win a championship game in crunch time. Kris Jenkins joked maybe it was his and Gillespie's shared uniform No. 2 that made the Wildcats so fearless when the outcome was at stake. Or maybe it's just the Wildcat Way forged under coach Jay Wright of shaking off nerves, bad shots, a stifling defense, whatever distraction got in their way, to always hit that next big shot and win the next big game.

Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points and keyed an overwhelming blitz that sent Creighton into the Big East championship game with a stunning 85-58 blowout of No. 11 Providence in the semifinals.

Ryan Hawkins scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures and Creighton closed with a flurry in a 79-59 victory over No. 9 Villanova in the Big East opener for both teams.