North Carolina, Villanova triumph
Wildcats use a 25- 0 run in the second half to obliterate Final Four mark.
The Tar Heels and Wildcats roll to Final Four victories and a date in Monday’s NCAA title game.
HOUSTON — There came a time in the first national semifinal game — much of the second half, really — when a sense of decency had to be preserved.
It was the waning minutes of Villanova’s seismic, historic 95- 51 demolition of Oklahoma on Saturday. Villanova guard Phil Booth tore off on another breakaway. He chopped his feet, anticipating a dunk.
“Coach was telling him, ‘ Cool it down! Cool it down!’ ” Villanova forward Daniel Ochefu said. “We
all understood at that point, we’re not trying to disgrace anybody. We’re not trying to make ourselves look like bad people.”
Villanova Coach Jay Wright knew: The Wildcats could hardly miss if they tried. Never in NCAA tournament history had a Final Four game been so lopsided. The 44point victory made the next-greatest margin, 34- point wins by Michigan State ( 1979) and Cincinnati ( 1963), seem like nail- biters.
Villanova’s dominance was without parallel. The Wildcats ( 34- 5) scored nearly 1.5 points per possession. They made 71.4% of their field goals, second in Final Four history to Villanova’s 1985 performance against Georgetown. Only back then, there were no three- point shots.
( The Wildcats made 11 of those against Oklahoma, on 18 attempts.)
It was easy to forget Oklahoma ( 29- 8) had crushed Villanova in December by 23 points. Villanova’s secondhalf total alone ( 53) would’ve been enough to win the game, as the Wildcats scored 25 unanswered points.
“Got whipped in every way,” Oklahoma Coach Lon Kruger said.
“I feel bad for Oklahoma,” Wright said afterward, on the f loor. He was not gloating. “We’ve all had those nights.”
Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield had been the star of this NCAA tournament. But in the f irst half Saturday he went more than 15 minutes between baskets. Perhaps an even greater indicator of the Wildcats’ defense: For an eightminute span, he didn’t even attempt a shot.
Villanova used all five positions to guard him. He couldn’t find space.
Hield made the f irst basket of the second half, then didn’t score again. He finished with nine points, and made one of eight three- point attempts.
Villanova, he said, was “throwing a bunch of bodies at me.” He called the Wildcats “one of the best teams I’ve ever played in college.”
The mood in Oklahoma’s locker room was funereal.
“Everything fell apart, even when we got stops,” Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins said
Forward Khadeem Lattin sat with his head in his arms. He politely requested not to do any interviews until he saw his mom.
Down the NRG Stadium hallway, Villanova’s celebration was muted.
“It feels good,” guard Josh Hart said. “I wouldn’t mind it on Monday.”
The Wildcats do not have a player like Hield, but they do bring a deep, versatile lineup. On Saturday, it was Hart’s turn. The former sixth man made 10 of 12 shots for 23 points. Forward Kris Jenkins scored 18 with eight rebounds. Six players scored in double figures.
The f irst half was dominant enough. The lead changed 11 times early. Then Villanova turned relentless. The Wildcats made two thirds of their baskets, which seemed disappointing only in hindsight. Their biggest run was a mere 12- 0 as they took a 42- 28 lead.
Oklahoma actually mounted a run early in the second half. Early on, the Wildcats’ lead was in the sin- gle digits. In the huddle, Villanova’s players snapped at each other, challenging themselves to answer.
They did, with a 25- 0 run over almost six minutes.
The run began with a broken play. Hart lost his dribble at the foul line. He pivoted, turned, twisted, then f lung a fadeaway as Hield contested. It went in.
Seconds later, Jenkins lobbed a pass that would make Brian Hoyer, who plays quarterback here for the Texans, jealous. From under Villanova’s basket, he hit Mikal Bridges on the other side of the court. Bridges threw down a dunk, with a foul. On the next possession, Booth splashed in a three- pointer.
“I mean, they’re just throwing it up there, and everything was falling for them,” guard Isaiah Cousins said. “I just f igured that they pretty much had the game.”
The sequence was the backbreaker. Oklahoma had all but given up.
And Villanova still had 17 unanswered points to go on its march into the record books.