Villanova Takes On North Carolina For NCAA National Title
HOUSTON (AP) - The championship game of men's college basketball is set with Villanova facing North Carolina Monday night in Houston. North Carolina has beaten Villanova five of six meetings in the NCAA tournament. `Nova coach Jay Wright is winless in three games in his career against Roy Williams' team.
In Saturday night's national semifinals, Villanova shocked the hoops world with a 95-51 dissecting of Oklahoma. The Wildcats set a record for margin of victory in a Final Four game. They held Oklahoma's Buddy Hield to his second-lowest output of the season, nine points.
`Nova connected on 35 of 49 shots for a 71.4 shooting percentage. Villanova enters the title game with a record of 34-5.
The Carolina-Syracuse semifinal game was never really in doubt as the Tar Heels won 83-66. The victory for the Tar Heels was their third this season over the Orange.
On Monday night Carolina coach Roy Williams will be looking for his third national championship with the Tar Heels.
NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR
And in Indianapolis the No. 1 overall seed Connecticut remained on its mission to win an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA women's basketball title by steamrolling an overmatched Oregon State team 80-51 in the first national semifinal.
Morgan Tuck led UConn with 21 and Breanna Stewart added 16 points and eight rebounds.
The top-seeded Huskies are unbeaten in 37 games this season and have won their last 74 straight, including 23 in a row in the NCAA tourney. They will go for 75 in a row Tuesday night when they play Syracuse in the women's NCAA championship.
Fourth seed Syracuse made 12 of 33 3-point shots and downed Washington 80-59 to reach the final. Alexis Petterson had 18 points to lead the Orange. The women's victory took some of the sting out of the Syracuse men losing to North Carolina in their Final Four semifinal on Saturday.
If UConn does win on Tuesday night coach Geno Auriemma (aw-ree-EH'-muh) will have an 11th national championship moving him past vaunted UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden for the most all time.
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