Villanova and Oklahoma will play in a national semifinal at the Final Four in Houston on Saturday night. It should be a thriller between two No. 2 seeds, each making its second Final Four appearance since the turn of the millennium.
Villanova vs. Oklahoma 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for Final Four
Get set for the Final Four game between the Wildcats and Sooners.
Oklahoma’s biggest story is, obviously, Buddy Hield. The senior guard is the nation’s deadliest scorer. He’s averaging 25 points per game this season, which is pedestrian compared with the 29 he’s posted in the Sooners’ first four tournament games. Hield is a bad, bad man and his team’s headliner, but the Sooners run deeper than just him; they have three other double-figure scorers, all juniors and seniors, to pair with a top-15 defense by adjusted efficiency.
Villanova doesn’t have one particular standout, instead countering the Sooners with a deep cast of excellent players. Josh Hart’s 15 points and seven rebounds per game stick out a little bit, but what makes Villanova so good is how many different Wildcats can step into the spotlight when head coach Jay Wright needs it. The team has a top-10 defense and a top-10 offense, plus two brilliant seniors in guard Ryan Arcidiacono and forward Daniel Ochefu.
The Wildcats are slim favorites, but this thing could go either way. The winner faces either North Carolina or Syracuse for the national championship on Monday night. All games will take place at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Below is the TV schedule for Saturday’s first national semifinal. All times are Eastern:
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Villanova, 6:09 p.m., TBS
Stream: NCAA March Madness Live
Broadcasters: Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson
Oklahoma Team Stream: TNT, 6 p.m.
Villanova Team Stream: truTV, 6 p.m.
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