In a match between two effective, top-10 attacks, the Wildcats prevailed by winning in a way they do not often: with their defense. They kept the hot Cougars, who eliminated Arizona No. 1 seed in Sweet 16, in a 1-of-20 shot from 3 points and a 17-of-58 shot from the floor. It was Houston’s worst home-shooting performance since the 2013-14 season and the worst 3-point range in more than a decade, according to the College Basketball Reference. “They played hard. It was difficult to score for both teams,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said in a post-match interview. “This is a good defense. They were good defensively, we were good defensively.” Villanova became the first No. 2 to ever win a No. 5 in the NCAA Elite Eight Round. Jermaine Samuels starred again for the Wildcats with 16 points, while Caleb Daniels – the only other Nova player with a double-digit number – added 12 points. Senior guard Collin Gillespie had just six points. Villanova will face the winner of the Midwest Region in next week’s Final Four, where she is waiting for the winner of No. 1 Seed Kansas and No. 10 Seed Miami. Here are some facts from Saturday’s match.
1. Defense, defense, defense
Houston averaged more than 75 points per game on Saturday. Villanova averaged just under 73 per game. The two teams could not score a combined 100, however, in a defensive slogan. If you had the under, which landed at 127, you had reason to celebrate early. “If you had told me before the game that we would keep them at 28% shooting from the field and 23% from the 3-point line and lose, I would not believe you.” said Houston coach Kelvin Samson. “Our kids were on guard. Dude, they were on guard. Our defense was right. We kept them at 50 points. We had a lot of chances and they didn’t come in. That’s happening.” Villanova’s 50 points were the fewest in a game since 2018. Houston’s 44 points were the fewest in a game since 2015. So, in the true way of March Madness, the two most effective attacking teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament fought it out. in defense, producing the tournament game with the lowest scores throughout the post-season.
2. The lasting greatness of Nova
Villanova’s victory over Houston gave the program its fourth appearance in the Final Four since 2009 and its third (!) In the last six tournaments. The last two times he got here, he went and won all the damn thing. The parenthesis is arguably more difficult this time around – Kansas’ No. 1 seed may be waiting for the Wildcats in the next round – but they can absolutely get the job done as they did the previous two times. This team does not have the best depth, nor the best front pitch. However, he has experience, flexibility in the lineup, an outstanding coach and a March star at the Jermaine Samuels.
3. Basic injury for Nova
In the final minute of action as Villanova closed the game, Justin Moore, the team’s second scorer, fell with an obvious leg injury and did not return to play. The severity of the injury is unknown, but the reaction here … well, it’s not crazy to think he could be left out of the rest of the tournament. Wright speculated after the game that Moore’s prognosis was “probably not good.” If Moore could not go, it would bring a huge blow to a Villanova team that does not have the depth it had in previous years. Only seven Wildcats came into play on Saturday and one of them played three minutes. Something to watch out for next week’s Final Four, with a match against the only remaining No. 1 seed in the tournament he may be waiting for.
