Villanova became the first team of the 2022 NCAA To NCAA Backpacks urnament to secure a Final Four berth, as the 2-seed Wildcats beat 5-seed Houston 50-44 in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
That storyline will take a backseat, however, to the Binghamton Bearcats clothes injury suffered to Justin Moore in the victory. Moore, who averages 15 points, 4.9 rebounds and 34.1 minutes played per game, suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the final minute, the school announced on Sunday. He will undergo surgery this week and miss the team's Final Four matchup against Kansas.
This is a tough blow for all of us , not just because of the great player Justin is , but because of what he means to us as teammates and coaches …https://t.co/GLEloF1U0L
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) March 27, 2022
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The non-contact injury occurred with 36 seconds left and the Wildcats nursing a 48-44 lead. Moore looked to make a move toward the basket before collapsing on the court in pain.
Below is a closeup of the injury, which occurred on his right leg (viewer discretion a Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Jerseys dvised):
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Moore exited the game and did not return, finished with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting (including 2-of-4 3-point shooting), two reboun WVU vs. Pitt Rivalry Shirts ds, one steal and one block. Prior to Sa Cal State Long Beach The Beach Jerseys Notre Dame vs. USC Rivalry shirt turday's game, he averaged 14.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, four assists and 42.9 field goal percentage in the NCAA Tournament. Teammates had an immediate idea of the severity of the injury.
Gillespie explained Kentucky vs. Louisville Rivalry Jerseys in his post-game interview that he had been in that position before, and he knew what it felt like to be out of the post-game celebration. In 2021, Gillespie tore his MCL in March in a late regular season contest against Creighton. He missed the Big East and NCAA tournament runs.
"I don’t ever want to see him by himself. He’s done so much for this team, always guards th Furman Paladins clothes e best player, is one of our b Colorado School of Mines Orediggers shirt est offensive players and will do anything for any of our guys on either end of the floor," Gillespie said. "So a lot of our guys ran right over to him because we’re not in the position that we are without him. So we just wanted to go over to him and just appreciate what he does for us and know that we’ve got his back."
Moore was also absent for a majority of the Wildcats' net-cutting celebration. When he did reenter the court on crutches, Villanova coach Jay Wright stopped him to give him a hug and speak.
