Duke coach Krzyzewski makes record-breaking 13th Final 4 appearance with win over Arkansas
Retiring coach surpasses John Wooden's record; Villanova also punches ticket to Final 4
Coach Mike Krzyzewski's farewell tour is headed to his record-setting 13th Final Four after Duke overwhelmed Arkansas 78-69 on Saturday night in the Blue Devils' most complete performance of this NCAA Tournament run.
Coach K will try to follow the path of the only coach to win more NCAA men's titles as John Wooden won his 10th championship in his final season at UCLA in 1975. Krzyzewski broke the tie he had with Wooden for most Final Four appearances with the commanding win over the Razorbacks.
Duke's upcoming matchup in New Orleans next Saturday will be historic either way — either its first NCAA Tournament meeting with archrival North Carolina or an unfathomable tangle in the national semifinals with 15th-seeded Saint Peter's.
The Blue Devils were in control for most of the second half, using an 10-0 run after Arkansas had cut the deficit to five points early in the half to open up a big cushion. The spurt came following a timeout when Krzyzewski once again switched his team to an uncharacteristic zone after having success doing that in the Sweet 16 against Texas Tech.
DUKE KEEPS DANCING! đź•ş<br><br>Next stop, the <a href="https://twitter.com/MFinalFour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MFinalFour</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/GF8unp7zXL">pic.twitter.com/GF8unp7zXL</a>
—@MarchMadnessMBBJaylin Williams ended that run with an emphatic dunk over Banchero for a three-point play but it wasn't nearly enough for the Razorbacks, who didn't cut the deficit into single digits until the final minute of the game.
Williams led Arkansas with 19 points and 10 rebounds and JD Notae had 14 points before fouling out. The Razorbacks shot 41.9 per cent for the game.
Villanova's Samuels shines in defensive 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.
Caleb Daniels added 14 points for the Wildcats (30-7), and fifth-year senior Collin Gillespie's only made field goal was a clutch shot late.
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.
