Villanova 1st to punch ticket to Final 4 with win over Houston

Jermaine Samuels had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Villanova advanced to its third NCAA Final Four in the last six NCAA Tournaments with a grind-it-out 50-44 victory over Houston in the South Region final Saturday.

With both teams willing to limit possessions, the first spot for this year's Final Four in New Orleans was settled in a game that was ugly to watch with all the missed shots.

Villanova shot 28.8 per cent from the field (15 of 52). The Cougars were only slightly better at 29.8 per cent (17 of 57), missing their last five shots and 10 of 11 overall, and they made only one of their of 20 attempted 3-pointers.

Taze Moore had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars (32-6), who were denied making consecutive Final Four appearances for the first time since 1982-84 during the Phil Slama Jama era. The starting five was completely changed from last season, including Moore and two other senior newcomers.

.<a href="https://twitter.com/J_Swizz23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@J_Swizz23</a> to the basket