March Madness 2022: Villanova to 7th Final Four, beats Houston 50-44 in South

Jermaine Samuels had 16 factors and 10 rebounds as Villanova superior to its third NCAA Remaining 4 within the final six NCAA Tournaments with a grind-it-out 50-44 victory over Houston within the South Area ultimate Saturday.

Caleb Daniels added 14 factors for the Wildcats (30-7), and fifth-year senior Collin Gillespie’s solely made discipline aim was a clutch shot late, though they led all through.

With each groups prepared to restrict possessions, the primary spot for this yr’s Remaining 4 in New Orleans was settled in a sport that was ugly to observe with all of the missed pictures.

Villanova shot 28.8% from the sphere (15 of 52). The Cougars had been solely barely higher at 29.8% (17 of 57), lacking their final 5 pictures and 10 of 11 total, and so they made solely considered one of their of 20 tried 3-pointers of their lowest-scoring NCAA tourney sport ever.

The Wildcats and coach Jay Wright will not complain as he seeks so as to add a 3rd nationwide title to those he gained in 2016 and 2018. Villanova will play both Kansas, the one No. 1 seed remaining, or Tenth-seeded Miami subsequent Saturday because it seeks its fourth championship total.

Taze Moore had 15 factors and 10 rebounds for the Cougars (32-6), who had been denied making consecutive Remaining 4 appearances for the primary time since 1982-84 in the course of the Phil Slama Jama period. The beginning 5 was fully modified from final season, together with Moore and two different senior newcomers.

After Villanova missed three pictures on the identical possession — and was nonetheless with none second-chance factors within the sport — Moore acquired the lengthy rebound on the break. After initially slowing issues down, Moore scored on a drive in opposition to Gillespie, getting Houston inside 42-40 with 5:25 left.

It was the closest the Cougars had been within the sport at AT&T Middle, solely about 200 miles from their campus, and the group was in a frenzy when Wright known as timeout. Houston by no means acquired an opportunity to take the lead.

Gillespie, who performed within the nationwide championship sport for the Wildcats in 2018, was 1-of-6 capturing. However his solely discipline aim got here on the possession after the timeout when he stepped contained in the 3-point line and hit a jumper with 5:02 left.

There was an almost two-minute scoring drought earlier than Justin Moore made two free throws — the Wildcats had been an ideal 15-of-15 from the road. A foul by J’Wan Roberts bailed them out with the shot clock about to expire. These had been Villanova’s first and solely second-chance factors.

Villanova had scored the primary 5 factors of the sport, together with a 3-pointer by Samuels on the primary shot.

Samuels was additionally on that 2018 title workforce as a freshman with Gillespie, however the 6-foot-7 ahead logged just one minute whole whereas making late-game appearances in these two Remaining 4 video games.

As a senior, Samuels goes into the Remaining 4 after being named MVP of the South Area. He’s averaging 17.5 factors a sport on this NCAA tourney — to this point.

INJURY

Justin Moore suffered a decrease leg damage within the ultimate minute of the sport and was on crutches in the course of the Wildcats’ postgame celebration. Moore was dribbling in opposition to a defender, and seemed like he slipped and fell, then went again down after attempting to rise up.

BIG PICTURE

Houston: After by no means trailing of their Candy 16 win over top-seeded Arizona, Houston by no means led in opposition to ’Nova. … The Cougars had superior to the Remaining 4 all earlier six instances they’d performed in a regional ultimate: 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 2021. … Fifth-year ahead Fabian White Jr., who had began solely a handful of video games earlier than this season, performed in his school-record 148th sport and was a part of a report 120 victories.

Villanova: That is the fourth time in a row that Villanova gained when attending to a regional ultimate and superior to the Remaining 4, following 2009, 2016 and 2018. The Wildcats are 20-3 in NCAA tourney video games since 2016. … They’re 9-0 in March, their largest profitable streak this season, and have gained 14 of 15 total because the first week of February.

UP NEXT

Villanova will play in opposition to the Midwest Area champion within the nationwide semis. Kansas and Miami play Sunday in Chicago.