Villanova outlasts Houston to head back to the Final Four
Yahoo Sports analyst and former UNC Tar Heel KJ Smith takes you through 2 Villanova’s 50-44 win over 5 Houston in the Elite 8 to book a ticket to the program’s 7th Final Four.
Video Transcript
KJ SMITH: What's up, everybody? It's KJ Smith, sports analyst for Yahoo Sports. And the Villanova Wildcats beat the Houston Cougars 55 to 44, and again, where the Wildcats never trailed. The Wildcats are back to The Final Four for the third time in seven years led by Jermaine Samuels, 16 points.
The real story here is Villanova's defense. The Wildcats seem to have the 3-point line and a choke hold because Houston Cougars shot just 5%. Yes, one for 20 from the line. The Cougars were led by Taze Morris, 15 points, but it just wasn't enough to defeat the Wildcats.
It's also important to note that coming into this game, the Houston Cougars were 6 and 0 in Elite Eight games. But this loss now makes their record 6 and 1. As a player, I've seen it firsthand competing against Jay Wright. He's an extreme motivator and coaches his teams like a drill Sergeant.
And it translates to the floor because you see it in his players like Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, and Jermaine Samuels. Villanova will be the first team to punch their ticket to the Final Four and will play Kansas or Miami. Once again, I'm KJ Smith, and you're locked in with Yahoo Sports.