Villanova has found success all season slowing down the game and forcing teams to play at its speed. On Saturday, it did exactly that against a red-hot Houston offense.
The No. 2 Wildcats scored the first basket of the game and never relinquished its advantage as its suffocating defense held a team that had scored at least 60 points in 13 straight games to under 50.
And while Villanova shot just 28.8 percent from the field, it made each of its 15 free throw attempts to push itself over the edge in a 50-44 win to reach the Final Four for the third time since 2016.
MORE: Watch March Madness live with Sling TV
Houston found momentum late in the second half, cutting its deficit to as little as two points. Taze Moore made a layup with 5:28 remaining to make the score 42-40. But from that point forward, Houston made just 1 of 11 shots from the field.
Houston entered Saturday's matchup as the best 3-point shooting team of any remaining in the Elite Eight. The Cougars' shots finally stopped dropping.
After shooting 40 percent from 3 in the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars made just one 3-pointer in 20 attempts against the Wildcats. The impact of that shooting was felt the most down the stretch, when Houston had four open 3 attempts late in the game while trailing by six points, but missed each one.
Villanova's Jermaine Samuels continued his standout tournament play with his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game and first double-double of the tournament (16 points, 10 rebounds). Moore led the Cougars with a double-double of his own (15 points, 10 rebounds).
Villanova will face the winner of Sunday's Midwest Region final between No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 10 Miami in the Final Four.
The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Villanova vs. Houston on Saturday. Follow along for complete results from the NCAA Tournament game.
Villanova vs. Houston score
H1 | H2 | F | |
---|---|---|---|
Villanova | 27 | 23 | 50 |
Houston | 20 | 24 | 44 |
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Villanova vs. Houston live updates, highlights
(All times Eastern)
8:18 p.m.: Here are the final stats from the game:
Villanova | Houston | |
---|---|---|
Field goals | 15-52 | 17-57 |
Field goal% | 28.8% | 29.8% |
3-pointers | 5-21 | 1-20 |
3-point% | 23.8% | 5% |
Free throws | 15-15 | 9-14 |
Free throw% | 100% | 64.3% |
Assists | 6 | 7 |
Steals | 3 | 6 |
Blocks | 2 | 4 |
Turnovers | 10 | 10 |
Fouls | 12 | 14 |
Largest lead | 11 | 0 |
8:17 p.m.: Houston misses two 3-pointers late, and that will do it. Villanova finishes off a 50-44 win to head back to the Final Four for the first time since 2018.
8:16 p.m.: On the inbounds, the ball appears to bounce off a Villanova defender and out of bounds. Houston will get the ball back with 12.9 seconds left.
8:12 p.m.: Houston has two wide-open looks from 3-point range, but neither falls. Officials reviewing who has possession after the ball goes out of bounds, but call on the floor was Villanova ball with 13 seconds left.
8:10 p.m.: Gillespie makes both free throws. It's a six-point game with 25.1 seconds left.
8:08 p.m.: Huge turnover as Justin Moore falls over and Houston forces a jump ball possession. Taze Moore misses the layup and Villanova recovers the rebound. Gillespie is fouled, and he'll shoot a 1-and-1 with 25.7 seconds left and his team up by four.
8:07 p.m.: Edwards is fouled and makes both free throws to make it a four-point game again.
8:06 p.m.: Jermaine Samuels drops in a clutch basket to extend Villanova's lead out to six points.
8:04 p.m.: Following a long Villanova possession, Fabian White Jr. pass out a rebound to Jamal Shead, who turns it into a fast break and a jump shot to make it a 46-42 game with just under a minute-and-a-half remaining.
Jamal Shead closes the lead to just four points. @UHCougarMBK pic.twitter.com/zo4j9fdwg9
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 27, 2022
8:01 p.m.: Moore makes both tries, and Villanova now leads 4 Columbia Renegades Jerseys 6-40 with 3:08 left in the game.
7:57 p.m.: Justin Moore is fouled just as the shot clock is about to go off, and he'll have a chance to add two points to Villanova's lead after the under-four TV timeout.
7:55 p.m.: Collin Gillespie makes a nice move to give himself some space to make a mid-range jumper to push the Wildcats' lead back up to four.
"When you need a bucket, Collin Gillespie gives you one." @NovaMBB clutch ? pic.twitter.com/8vCuMTgtVg
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 26, 2022
7:51 p.m.: Taze Moore keeps scoring. He adds two more points on a layup to cut the Villanova lead down to 42-40.
TAZE MOORE ? @UHCougarMBK
IT'S A TWO-POINT GAME ? pic.twitter.com/okDK8bmnlM
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 26, 2022
7:50 p.m.: Taze Moore fouled, and makes both free throws. Houston is on a 9-2 run, and has trimmed the game to just a four-point Villanova lead with 6:31 left.
7:48 p.m.: Caleb Daniels picks up the quick score right out of the timeout to snap Villanova's scoring draught. Houston responds with two from Jamal Shead.
7:44 p.m.: Taze Moore reaches double-digits in scoring with his 11th points of the game, coming on a fastbreak jumper that cuts the Villanova lead down to just six with 8:39 to play.
7:42 p.m.: J'Wan Roberts gets those two points back with a layup to keep the deficit in single digits. Jamal Shead was fouled the next possession, but he only makes the second try from the line.
7:40 p.m.: Jermaine Samuels adds two more points to the Wildcats' lead on a shot that was called good on a goaltend.
7:39 p.m.: Officials confirm the 3 by Moore. It's 38-29, Villanova with 11:05 left.
7:36 p.m.: Justin Moore responds with a 3-pointer, though it will be reviewed whether he was over the line at the next dead ball stoppage. If it sticks, Villanova leads 38-29.
7:34 p.m.: Dixon has now been called for three fouls, and Edwards heads to the line. He misses both attempts, but the Cougars retain possession with the rebound, eventually leading to a J'Wan Roberts layup.
7:31 p.m.: Jermaine FSU vs. Miami Rivalry Gear Samuels gets Villanova back in the score column with a layup and subsequent and-one. Back up to an eight-point Villanova advantage.
That's a Jermaine Samuels 3-point play ? @NovaMBB pic.twitter.com/f0hi5xUNrR
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 26, 2022
7:29 p.m.: Kyler Edwards picks up his first basket of the evening, knocking in a jumper to bring the score to just 32-27.
7:25 p.m.: Houston turns around a fast break, but can't get the first shot from Kyler Edwards to fall. The Cougars pick up an offensive rebound, send the ball back out to Taze Moore, who drains a 3 to make it a 32-25 game.
Taze Moore getting Cougar fans UP after this three ?#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/KBqbJWU9MG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022
7:21 p.m.: Caleb Daniels knocks down a 3 to put the Wildcats up by 10 50 seconds into the half. Josh Carlton responds on the other side with an offensive rebound by Taze Moore and layup from Josh Carlton. Jermaine Samuels brings the two points right back for Villanova with a layup.
7:20 p.m.: The second half is underway. First Villanova possession is a turnover on a travel.
Villanova 27, Houston 20
7:02 p.m.: At the end of the first half, here's a look at some of the key halftime stats.
Villanova | Houston | |
---|---|---|
Field goals | 7-25 | 8-26 |
Field goal% | 28% | 30.8 |
3-pointers | 3-12 | 0-8 |
3-point% | 25% | 0% |
Free throws | 10-10 | 4-6 |
Free throw% | 100% | 66.7% |
Assists | 3 | 3 |
Steals | 2 | 2 |
Blocks | 1 | 1 |
Turnovers | 3 | 5 |
Fouls | 5 | 7 |
Largest lead | 11 | 0 |
6:58 p.m.: J'Wan Roberts was fouled by Jermaine Samuels with just 0.1 left on the clock. He makes the second, misses the first of two free throws.
6:56 p.m.: Houston gets a quick scoring chance off the in-bound, with Reggie Chaney being fouled by Dixon. He makes the first of two free throws.
6:54 p.m.: Dixon bodies up in the post and makes the short-range jumper to put Villanova up 27-18. Houston calls a timeout with 45 seconds left in the half.
6:53 p.m.: Shead is called for a foul on Collin Gillespie, who makes both his free throw shots. Villanova is now 10-10 in free throw attempts against Houston.
6:52 p.m.: Taze Moore is now on a 4-0 run after a jump-shot cuts Villanova's lead down to 23-18.
6:48 p.m.: Houston forces a turnover after a long Villanova possession that came up empty. On the other end of the court, Taze Moore gathers his own offensive rebound and puts it back for a layup.
6:47 p.m.: Eric Dixon makes both of his free throws after the TV timeout. 23-14 Villanova with 3:35 left in the half.
6:42 p.m.: Fabian White Jr. makes his first basket of the afternoon to bring the deficit back to single-digits at 21-12. Villanova turns it over on the next possession, and Carlton slams home a two-handed dunk with 4:09 remaining in the half.
Josh Carlton with the SLAM ?
Here come the Cougars #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/z44O3l1Ydu
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022
6:40 p.m.: Justin Moore drains the 3-pointer from the top of the key, and Villanova is out to its largest lead of the day with 6:05 left at 21-10.
6:34 p.m.: Josh Carlton tries to block a shot from Samuels, but is called for a foul. Samuels makes both free throws, and Villanova's lead is back to eight points.
6:31 p.m.: Jamal Shead with an impressive move to find space and make a layup inside to bring the score down to 16-10. The two sides exchange possessions on travels.
6:30 p.m.: Ramon Walker Jr. is called for a blocking foul as Daniels tried to dart into the post for the easy layup. Daniels knocks down both free throws to make it a 16-8 game.
6:29 p.m.: Houston's J'Wan Roberts makes both his free throws to bring the score to 14-8 Villanova with 10:42 remaining in the half.
6:25 p.m.: Eastern Michigan Eagles clothes Both teams on scoring runs now. Jamal Sh Florida vs. Georgia Rivalry Gear ead makes a layup on one end of the court for Houston, but Caleb Daniels responds right away with a jump shot to keep Villanova's lead at eight.
6:24 p.m.: Houston snaps its scoring draught with a two-handed jam f UNC vs. Duke Rivalry Shirts rom Reggie Chaney, but Villanova strikes right back with a 3-pointer from Caleb Daniels just a few seconds later to put the Wildcats up 12-4.
K NCAA Picture Frames yler Edwards with the dish ➡️ Reggie Chaney with the flush ?@UHCougarMBK | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wENvbiTBEt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022
6:19 p.m.: Brandon Slaters makes both his free throws to put Villanova up 7-2 with 15:47 left in the half. On the Wildcats' next possession, Samuels added two more.
Jermaine Samuels with the spin cycle ?@NovaMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/JzbWAAcm9C
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022
6:14 p.m.: J Flagler Saints clothes ustin Moore drops in Houston's first bucket of the night on a fast-break layup just under two-and-a-half minutes into the game.
6:13 p.m.: After a turnover on Houston's first possession, Villanova takes the lead with a 3-pointer from Jermaine Samuels to give them the lead. Kyler Edwards misses a potential response on the other end of the court, and Eric Dixon drops in a jump shot to make it a 5-0 game.
Jermaine Samuels starting @NovaMBB off right ?#MarchMadness #Elite8 pic.twitter.com/7pHiaPabjy
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022
6:11 p.m.: And this game is underway.
5:52 p.m.: Houston announces its five starters for the Elite Eight matchup, as well as the starters for the Wildcats.
HOUSTON STARTERS
G – 1️⃣ @Thejshead
G – 1️⃣1️⃣ @kyleredwards_
G – 4️⃣ @TazeMoore
F – 3️⃣5️⃣ @3five_
F – 2️⃣5️⃣ @Josh25Carlton20-3 with this g Franklin & Marshall Diplomats shirt roup in 2021-22#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/3ORMZh6cX2
— Houston Men's Hoops ? ? (@UHCougarMBK) March 26, 2022
VILLANOVA STARTERS
G – 5️⃣ Justin Moore
G – 2️⃣ Collin Gillespie
F – 3️⃣ Brandon Slater
F – 2️⃣3️⃣ Jermaine Samuels
F – 4️⃣3️⃣ Eric Dixon#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs— Houston Men's Hoops ? ? (@UHCougarMBK) March 26, 2022
Villanova vs. Houston start time
- Date: Saturday, March 26
- Time: 6:09 p.m. ET | 3:09 p.m. PT
The Villanova-Houston game is scheduled to begin at 6:09 p.m. ET at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
What channel is Villanova vs. Houston on?
- TV channel: TBS
- Live stream: Sling TV
TBS will be producing the broadcast of Villanova vs. Houston, as well as the West Region final between No. 2 Duke and No. 4 Arkansas later Saturday.
Villanova vs. Houston series history
Saturday night's clash will be a tiebreaker between the schools.
The teams have met six times in their history and have split the games in alternating fashion; Villanova ha WVU vs. Pitt Rivalry Shirts s won each odd-numbered matchup and Houston has each even-numbered game. That trend would continue if Villanova wins this game, the seventh clash between the teams.
Of those six matchups, two have come in the NCAA Tournament. No. 9 Villanova defeated No. 8 Houston in 1981 before losing losing in the second round to No. 1 Virginia. Two years later, No. 1 Houston met No. 3 Villanova in the Midwest Region final and exacted revenge to advance to the Final Four. Houston ultimately reached the national championship game, where it lost to N.C. State 54-52.
The full series history between the schools:
Date | Winning team | Score | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Dec. 30, 1953 | Villanova | 73-66 | Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, Ky.) |
Dec. 18, 1970 | Houston | 99-84 | Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, Kan.) |
March 13, 1981 | Villanova | 90-72 | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, N.C.) |
March 27, 1983 | Houston | 89-71 | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Mo.) |
Dec. 28, 1986 | Villanova | 63-60 | Superdome (New Orleans) |
Nov. 23, 1991 | Houston | 79-49 | Hofheinz Pavilion (Houston) |
March Madness schedule 2022
Games for Saturday, March 26
Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
---|---|---|
No. 2 Villanova 50, No. 5 Houston 44 | 6:09 p.m. | TBS |
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 4 Arkansas | 8:49 p.m. | TBS |
Games for Sunday, March 27
Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
---|---|---|
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 10 Miami | 2:20 p.m. | CBS |
No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Saint Peter's | 5:05 p.m. | CBS |