Villanova is a win away from capturing the first WBIT championship. But first, Illinois.

Villanova is a game away from being the first team to win the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament championship.

This is the first year of the NCAA-run competition. The No. 1 seeded Wildcats (22-12) have rattled off four consecutive tournament wins, including an eight-point WBIT quarterfinal victory against Big 5 rival St. Joseph’s to be the only city team still playing basketball in April.

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Standing in their way is No. 4 seed Illinois (18-15), which dominated No. 1 Washington State, 81-53, in Monday’s other WBIT semifinal. It’ll be back-to-back games against Big Ten opponents for Villanova after the Wildcats knocked off Penn State, 58-53, in their semifinal.

Ahead of Wednesday’s championship game, here’s everything you need to know about both teams, the tournament, and of course, how to watch the Wildcats go after the title.

Villanova and Illinois tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will be televised on ESPN2, but if you’re feeling ambitious, tickets are still available.

» READ MORE: Villanova holds off Penn State to reach the WBIT championship game against Illinois

The 32-team WBIT is operated and governed by the NCAA, unlike the 48-team Women’s National Invitation Tournament, which is privately owned and was founded by Triple Crown Sports in 1994. With the creation of the WBIT, the NCAA ostensibly no longer has to share revenue on what was its largest consolation tournament with Triple Crown.

After a two-point loss to Marquette in the Big East Tournament, the Wildcats’ NCAA bubble burst. But it afforded Villanova a No. 1 seed in the WBIT and the Wildcats haven’t disappointed, rattling off four straight wins, the first three at the Finneran Pavilion against Virginia Commonwealth (75-60), Virginia (73-55), and St. Joseph’s (67-59), followed by Monday’s victory over the Nittany Lions.

The Wildcats are led by juniors Lucy Olsen (23.3 points per game) and Christina Dalce (8.4 ppg, 9.6 rebounds).

The Fighting Illini have several shooters to match up with Villanova’s staunch defense. This Illinois team has striking similarities to a St. Joseph’s group that loves to spread the floor and get points by committee. The only difference that unlike the Hawks, the Illini are a senior-led collective.

Senior guard Makira Cook is the engine, averaging 16.1 points, but senior forward Kendall Bostic is a problem. Bostic is good for 12 points per game this season but averages 10.8 rebounds and leads the team with 22 blocks. She’ll be the one to keep an eye on, especially as ‘Nova tries to drive the lane. Also, senior guard Genesis Bryant (14.1 ppg) and junior Adalia McKenzie (11.3) are among the scoring leaders.

This will be just the second meeting and you’d have to go back to 1988 for the first, a 69-60 Villanova loss in Champaign, Ill. No pressure.