By: Mike Rifkin
The fifth seeded Cougars have gone through UAB, Illinois and top seeded Arizona to get to the Elite Eight and with a victory over Villanova the Cougars would get back to the Final Four where they lost to Baylor in 2021. In all three of their games the Cougars have had double digit offensive rebounds and assists. In their victory over Arizona guards Jamal Shead and Kyler Edwards combined for 40 points.
The second seeded Wildcats have beaten Delaware, Ohio State and Michigan to get to this point. The Wildcats are looking to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2018 where they defeated Michigan to win the National Championship. In their three prior games Villanova has made eight or more threes. Senior Jermaine Samuels had 22 points and seven rebounds in the victory over Michigan and has had a really good tournament.
These two teams are in the top 25 in scoring defense. Houston is third giving up 59.0 points per game and Villanova is 23rd in giving up 62.7 points per game. Villanova averages 9.9 turnovers per game which ranks twelfth in the country while the Cougars average 11.2 which ranks 50th. Free throw wise Villanova makes 82.3 percent while Houston is 66.9 percent.
Prediction : These are two teams with a lot of experience, but in the end I like Villanova in a very tight competitive game.
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