Villanova vs. Texas Tech: Scores, highlights and updates

VU 71, Texas Tech 59: Villanova is going to the Final Four for the second time in three years. The Wildcats feel like the favorite to win the national championship again.

VU 61, Texas Tech 53, 1:16 left: A big bucket by Jalen Brunson should do it for Villanova. The Wildcats look like the best team in college basketball right now.

VU 56, Texas Tech 51, 4:14 left: Senior point guard Keenan Evans gets fouled on a three and hits 2-of-3 from the line. Evans is going to need to do his best Kemba Walker impression if TT wants to win. ‘Nova immediately followed with a monster tip dunk by Donte DiVincenzo.

VU 52, Texas Tech 44, 6:43: Texas Tech is chipping away, slowly. It will need to string stops together late if it wants to close this eight-point gap, though. Texas Tech freshman Jarrett Culver has a game-high 11 points — he’s a player to watch now and into the future.

VU 46, TTU 35, 11:35: Villanova continues to have things well in hand, pending a shocking late comeback by Texas Tech. It’s hard to make up any deficit against Villanova, because stringing together stops against the best offense in college basketball is a huge ask.

VU 46, TTU 35, 13:20: The Wildcats have things on cruise control. Texas Tech hasn’t made a dent in a 13-point halftime deficit. In about a half-hour of real time (or maybe a little bit less), the Wildcats will officially be Final Four-bound for the second time in three years.

Villanova 36, Texas Tech 23.

Nova just held Texas Tech to its lowest point total in any half this season. The Red Raiders started the game on a 7-0 run, and things got bad from there. The Wildcats outscored them 36-16 over the final 17 minutes of the half, and they’re riding shotgun now.

Six players scored between four and nine points for Villanova, led by Eric Paschall. Tech got five early points from Zhaire Smith, but he wasn’t involved as the half wound down. Jarrett Culver had six for the Raid Raiders, who have tons of work to do after the break.

VU 29, TTU 24, 3:13: This game’s started to settle into a calmer rhythm. It was a game of runs at the beginning, but now the teams are trading buckets with regularity. Villanova’s been slowly but surely inching ahead and gaining separation, though.

VU 23, TTU 19, 6:33: The Wildcats have made a bit of a move, and the Red Raiders are just trying to stay within arm’s length of a more talented team. They’ve got to hang on for the last few minutes of the first half and not let things get out of hand, because playing behind against a team that shoots like Nova is a terrible thing to have eto do.

TTU 15, VU 15, 11:07: The Wildcats started 1-of-5 from the field but are now 5-of-11, and their offense is looking a lot more Villanova-like against an elite Tech defense.

TTU 9, VU 6, 14:58: The Red Raiders started the game on a 7-0 run. Freshman Zhaire Smith, who’s been one of the country’s more efficient offensive players all year, has five early points on 2-of-2 shooting. Nova’s the best offensive team in the country, making it all the more important for Tech to have gotten off to a decent scoring start of its own.

The Villanova Wildcats have coasted past their first three NCAA tournament opponents in double-digit wins. They stomped on No. 16 Radford by 26 points, knocked off Collin Sexton’s Crimson Tide by 23 points, and shut down West Virginia’s Jevon Carter to beat the Mountaineers by 12 points in the Sweet 16.

Along with Kansas, Nova is one of two schools that have performed like a No. 1 seed. Virginia was upset historically in the first round by No. 16 UMBC, and Xavier was knocked out in the Round of 32 by Florida State.

Is there a chance no No. 1 seed will make the Final Four?

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have KenPom’s No. 3 ranked defense, even tougher than the press West Virginia deployed on the Wildcats Friday night. Tech has wins over Kansas, Baylor, Kansas State, West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma and TCU this season. Their resume makes them one of the strongest No. 3 seeds in the tourney.

In the Sweet 16, Tech knocked off Purdue in a 13-point win. Their best player, Keenan Evans, scored 16 points on eight shots, and three others scored in double figures. Tech’s depth chart is filled with athletes who can put it on the floor and score.

Just like his Sweet 16 matchup, Nova point guard Jalen Brunson has a tough matchup ahead on both ends of the floor. He outdueled Jevon Carter, with 27 points on 15 shots, and four assists. Can he do it all again to get Nova back in the Final Four?

Date: March 25

Time: 2:20 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Live Stream: March Madness Live