USA TODAY International Edition
Villanova, Duke roll into men’s Final Four
We have our first two men’s NCAA Final Four basketball teams heading to New Orleans. And they’re blue bloods.
In the first Elite Eight matchup Saturday, veteran- laden Villanova leaned on its experience to fend off surging Houston. Coach Jay Wright has a chance for another national title after winning championships in 2016 and 2018. Collin Gillespie was a part of that ’ 18 team and he’s still suiting up for the Wildcats thanks to a fifth year of eligibility due to the extra COVID- 19 year.
In the second game, Duke continued its surging success in these NCAAs with an emphatic rout of Arkansas. The fact that the Blue Devils put on an offensive clinic against arguably the best defensive team remaining is a statement that says this team could be a favorite to win the title in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season.
“There’s nothing like being a regional champion,” Coach K said on CBS.
“It’s a dream come true,” Duke star Paolo Banchero added.
A look at the biggest winners from Saturday’s Elite Eight games:
Duke
The Blue Devils ( 32- 6) looked dominant in a 78- 69 drubbing of an Arkansas team that had just knocked out the top overall seed, Gonzaga. As good as the Razorbacks’ defense is with its lateral quickness, Duke rose to the occasion with better offense from its more gifted 1- on- 1 players. Duke got scoring from just about everybody, with nearly six players in double figures led by marksman AJ Griffin’s 18 points. The X- factor was Mark Williams, who had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks.
It took a second- half wake- up call after the lead was cut to five points five minutes in. “They outplayed us at the start of the second half,” Krzyzewski said. “After the timeout, we were a different team.”
Villanova
The Wildcats ( 30- 7) responded in the final five minutes once Houston sliced the deficit to 42- 40 off an 11- 2 run, and that came with a jumper by Gillespie, as Villanova escaped with a 50- 44 victory by making key plays in
crunchtime. ’ Nova showed one of its key strengths: playing with poise when another team is rallying. Making big shots wasn’t easy against a smothering Houston defense but the Wildcats’ blend of clutch players in the frontcourt and backcourt got the job done. An underrated stat: ’ Nova leading the nation in free throw percentage, on display with a 15- for- 15 clip.
American Athletic Conference
The AAC really didn’t get a ton of love from the NCAA committee on Selection Sunday, namely leaving SMU out of the projected field when the Mustangs were clearly a worthy team, having beat Houston. Memphis also beat Houston and was leading Gonzaga by double digits in the second round before faltering. Factoring all that with Houston’s impressive Elite Eight finish speaks volumes for how good this league was. Even though the committee says it pays no attention to conference records for team profiles, it’s telling how underrated Houston and the conference’s best teams were. The Cougars weren’t a team that just hit their stride at the right time. They had favorable matchups in these NCAAs because their defense earned them those advantages.